Ksar Akil Rock Shelter Level XVII Epi-Palaeolithic
Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)·Multi-period rock art·🇱🇧 Mount Lebanon, Ksar Akil, Lebanon
About
About Ksar Akil Rock Shelter Level XVII Epi-Palaeolithic
Ksar Akil Rock Shelter Level XVII Epi-Palaeolithic in Mount Lebanon, Ksar Akil, Lebanon is a Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE) rock art attributed to Multi-period rock art. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal panel 12 m long × 3 m high and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 33.9160N 35.5890E controls access to Mount Lebanon resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey rock art for Mount Lebanon, Ksar Akil, illustrating Multi-period rock art construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Meaning of iconographic motifs
- 02Dating of superimposed phases
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
- Period
- Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)
- Culture
- Multi-period rock art
- Purpose
- Rock art sanctuary and ritual landscape with petroglyphs/pictographs
- Rediscovered
- 1995 survey
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
Initial construction of Ksar Akil Rock Shelter Level XVII Epi-Palaeolithic main structure
c. 1935
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1995–2010
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Ksar Akil Rock Shelter Level XVII Epi-Palaeolithic) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
33.9160° N · 35.5890° E · 325 m · 3 mapped features
Ksar Akil Rock Shelter Level XVII Epi-Palaeolithic — Main Structure
panelPrincipal rock art — Panel 12 m long × 3 m high with diagnostic masonry/panel
33.9168° N · 35.5899° EKsar Akil Rock Shelter Level XVII Epi-Palaeolithic — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
33.9150° N · 35.5883° EKsar Akil Rock Shelter Level XVII Epi-Palaeolithic — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with petroglyph panel extension
33.9175° N · 35.5902° E