Olduvai Gorge FLK North Level 22 Zinj Site
Olduvai Gorge FLK North Level 22 Zinj Site North Annex · Olduvai Site
Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)·Multi-period rock art·🇹🇿 Arusha, Olduvai, Tanzania
About
About Olduvai Gorge FLK North Level 22 Zinj Site
Olduvai Gorge FLK North Level 22 Zinj Site in Arusha, Olduvai, Tanzania 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 -2.9900N 35.3510E controls access to Arusha 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 Arusha, Olduvai, 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
- 1988 survey
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
Initial construction of Olduvai Gorge FLK North Level 22 Zinj Site main structure
c. 1928
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1988–2018
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Olduvai Gorge FLK North Level 22 Zinj Site) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
2.9900° S · 35.3510° E · 276 m · 4 mapped features
Olduvai Gorge FLK North Level 22 Zinj Site — Main Structure
panelPrincipal rock art — Panel 12 m long × 3 m high with diagnostic masonry/panel
2.9892° S · 35.3519° EOlduvai Gorge FLK North Level 22 Zinj Site — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
2.9910° S · 35.3503° EOlduvai Gorge FLK North Level 22 Zinj Site — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with petroglyph panel extension
2.9885° S · 35.3522° EOlduvai Gorge FLK North Level 22 Zinj Site — Hydraulic/Cistern
hydraulicHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir or rock-cut channel associated with site
2.9916° S · 35.3499° E