New Findings on Rock Engravings in the Oukaïmeden Valley (High Atlas, Morocco) and Their Implications to the Local Transhumance
Abstract
The paper deals with rock art in the Oukaïmeden Valley situated in the central part of the High Atlas in Morocco. The paper focuses on specifi c archaeological sites, the art techniques used, distinguishing features of the style and other specific features of the local rock art.
Special attention is paid to the motifs, development changes and dating of rock art in the Oukaïmeden Valley. Rock art first appeared in the Oukaïmeden Valley in the Late Neolithic, It developed during the Late Bronze Age and continued until the Libyan-Berber period.
Th e second part of the paper presents an interpretation of rock art motifs including the analysis of their function and meaning in the landscape. The paper describes the close relation between rock art and transhumance, in the High Atlas until these days.
The paper describes and interprets rock art in the Oukaïmeden Valley emphasizing the seasonal use of mountain pastures by Berber shepherds.