Narrow-Moat Rock Shelter
Ubaid (6500–3800 BCE)·Ubaid·🇧🇴 Oruro, Bolivia
About
About Narrow-Moat Rock Shelter
Narrow-Moat Rock Shelter in Oruro, Bolivia is a Ubaid (6500–3800 BCE) rock art attributed to Ubaid culture. Systematically investigated through ground-penetrating radar and fieldwalking, it presents a principal enclosure with necropolis. Construction employs mudbrick on stone socle and demonstrates craft specialization. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans verify location and chronology.
Why it mattersKey Ubaid rock-art with stratified sequence and regional significance.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology and phasing of monuments
- 02Social hierarchy and elite control
Theories
- 01Defensive refuge and tribal capital
- 02Astronomical observatory and calendar
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. 5298 BCE
- Period
- Ubaid (6500–3800 BCE)
- Culture
- Ubaid
- Purpose
- Agricultural and hydraulic
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 5298 BCE
Initial construction and primary occupation
c. 4498 BCE
Major expansion and monumental elaboration
c. 894 BCE
Rebuilding and fortification phase
1985
Modern archaeological excavation and survey
On the ground
Structures & features
18.4143° S · 70.1047° W · 994 m · 3 mapped features
Granary Cluster
stelaBurial zone — cists
18.4165° S · 70.1052° WAltar
cisternAncillary field system associated with main monument
18.4155° S · 70.1053° WPrincipal Monument
moundHydraulic feature — aqueduct
18.4124° S · 70.1059° W