Wadi Khirbet Rock Shelter
Neolithic (6000–3000 BCE)·Neolithic·🇧🇴 Oruro, Bolivia
About
About Wadi Khirbet Rock Shelter
Wadi Khirbet Rock Shelter in Oruro, Bolivia is a Neolithic (6000–3000 BCE) rock art attributed to Neolithic culture. Systematically investigated through aerial LiDAR and stratigraphic excavation, it presents a principal enclosure with hydraulic works. Construction employs dry-stone masonry and demonstrates craft specialization. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans verify location and chronology.
Why it mattersKey Neolithic rock-art with stratified sequence and regional significance.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Ritual use and symbolic landscape
- 02Function as ceremonial vs domestic centre
Theories
- 01Ritual landscape and ancestral veneration
- 02Trading entrepôt and regional hub
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. 3654 BCE
- Period
- Neolithic (6000–3000 BCE)
- Culture
- Neolithic
- Purpose
- Agricultural and hydraulic
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 3654 BCE
Initial construction and primary occupation
c. 2854 BCE
Major expansion and monumental elaboration
c. 574 BCE
Rebuilding and fortification phase
1996
Modern archaeological excavation and survey
On the ground
Structures & features
18.9072° S · 68.7356° W · 1541 m · 3 mapped features
Stela Alignment
gatewayBurial zone — tumuli
18.9064° S · 68.7342° WGranary Cluster
rampartAncillary necropolis associated with main monument
18.9053° S · 68.7345° WRock Art Panel
reservoirHydraulic feature — aqueduct
18.9045° S · 68.7332° W