Uan Muhuggiag Rock Shelter Pastoral Phase
Uan Muhuggiag Rock Shelter Pastoral Phase North Annex · Uan Site
Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)·Multi-period rock art·🇱🇾 Fezzan, Uan Muhuggiag, Libya
About
About Uan Muhuggiag Rock Shelter Pastoral Phase
Uan Muhuggiag Rock Shelter Pastoral Phase in Fezzan, Uan Muhuggiag, Libya 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 24.5430N 10.3120E controls access to Fezzan 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 Fezzan, Uan Muhuggiag, 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
- 1964 survey
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
Initial construction of Uan Muhuggiag Rock Shelter Pastoral Phase main structure
c. 1904
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1964–2009
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Uan Muhuggiag Rock Shelter Pastoral Phase) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
24.5430° N · 10.3120° E · 108 m · 4 mapped features
Uan Muhuggiag Rock Shelter Pastoral Phase — Main Structure
panelPrincipal rock art — Panel 12 m long × 3 m high with diagnostic masonry/panel
24.5438° N · 10.3129° EUan Muhuggiag Rock Shelter Pastoral Phase — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
24.5420° N · 10.3113° EUan Muhuggiag Rock Shelter Pastoral Phase — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with petroglyph panel extension
24.5445° N · 10.3132° EUan Muhuggiag Rock Shelter Pastoral Phase — Hydraulic/Cistern
hydraulicHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir or rock-cut channel associated with site
24.5414° N · 10.3109° E