Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

• World Regions

  All regions

  Select a region

  • North America
  • Europe
  • Central and North Asia
  • East Asia
  • Central America
  • South America
  • Africa
  • West Asia
  • Oceania
  • South and Southeast Asia

  Select a time period

  • 8000–2000 B.C.
  • 2000–1000 B.C.
  • 1000 B.C.–1 A.D.
  • 1–500 A.D.
  • 500–1000 A.D.
  • 1000–1400 A.D.
  • 1400–1600 A.D.
  • 1600–1800 A.D.
  • 1800–1900 A.D.
  • 1900 A.D.–Present
• Timelines

  by Time Period 8,000–2,000 b.c. 2,000–1,000 b.c. 1,000 b.c.–1 a.d. 1–500 a.d. 500–1,000 a.d. 1,000–1400 a.d. 1400–1600 a.d. 1600–1800 a.d. 1800–1900 a.d. 1900 a.d.–present

  by Geographical Region Africa   Central America   Central and North Asia   East Asia   Europe   North America   Oceania   South America   South and Southeast Asia  West Asia

• Thematic Essays
  • Recent Additions  |  All Thematic Essays
  • 
    Select a Thematic Category African Art American Art Ancient Near Eastern Art Art of the Americas Asian Art Byzantine Art Egyptian Art European Art Greek and Roman Art Islamic Art Medieval Art Modern and Contemporary Art Oceanic/Pacific Art Prehistory Select a Department American Decorative Arts American Paintings and Sculpture Ancient Near Eastern Art Arms and Armor Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas Asian Art The Costume Institute Drawings and Prints Education Egyptian Art European Paintings European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Greek and Roman Art Islamic Art The Libraries Medieval Art and The Cloisters Musical Instruments Nineteenth-Century, Modern, and Contemporary Art Objects Conservation Paintings Conservation Paper Conservation Photographs Robert Lehman Collection Scientific Research Textile Conservation

    ---

  • Select a Geographical Region Africa Central America Central and North Asia East Asia Europe North America Oceania South America South and Southeast Asia West Asia All Geographical Regions Select a Time Period 20,000–8000 B.C. 8000–2000 B.C. 2000–1000 B.C. 1000 B.C.–1 A.D. 1–500 A.D. 500–1000 A.D. 1000–1400 A.D. 1400–1600 A.D. 1600–1800 A.D. 1800–1900 A.D. 1900 A.D.–Present All Time Periods
    
• Works of Art
  Recent Additions
  
  

  Title Description
  Artist
  Material and Technique
  Credit Line
  Accession Number

• Index

  Artist (A–Z) | All Artists

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z

  ---

  Subject (A–Z)

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z

African Rock Art

Depictions of elegant human figures, richly hued animals, and figures combining human and animal features continue to inspire admiration for their sophistication, energy, and direct, powerful forms

Related

Cited Works of Art or Images (1)

• 

Timelines (2)

• Eastern and Southern Africa, 500–1000 A.D.
• Eastern and Southern Africa, 1000–1400 A.D.

Primary Thematic Essays (6)

• African Rock Art of the Central Zone
• African Rock Art of the Northern Zone
• African Rock Art of the Southern Zone
• African Rock Art: Game Pass
• African Rock Art: Tassili–n–Ajjer (?8000 b.c.–?)
• African Rock Art: The Coldstream Stone

Other Thematic Essays (11)

• Apollo 11 (ca. 25,500–23,500 b.c.) and Wonderwerk (ca. 8000 b.c.) Cave Stones
• Arts of the San People in Nomansland
• Great Zimbabwe
• Ife (from ca. 350 b.c.)
• Ife Pre–Pavement and Pavement Era (800–1000 a.d.)
• Ife Terracottas (1000–1400 a.d.)
• Inland Niger Delta
• Introduction to Prehistoric Art, 20,000–8000 b.c.
• The Monumental Stelae of Aksum (3rd–4th century a.d.)
• Pachmari Hills (ca. 9000–3000 b.c.)
• San Ethnography

Maps (4)

• Africa, 8000–2000 b.c.
• Africa, 2000–1000 b.c.
• Africa, 1000 b.c.–1 a.d.
• World, 20,000–8000 b.c.

Index Terms (4)

Art Movement/Style

• Stone Age of Prehistoric Art

Geography/Place

• Southern Africa

Object

• Rock Art

Subject Matter/Theme

• Archaeology from Africa and Egypt

Share

| More

Rock paintings and engravings are Africa's oldest continuously practiced art form. Depictions of elegant human figures, richly hued animals, and figures combining human and animal features—called therianthropes and associated with shamanism—continue to inspire admiration for their sophistication, energy, and direct, powerful forms. The apparent universality of these images is deceptive; content and style range widely over the African continent. Nevertheless, African rock art can be divided into three broad geographical zones—southern, central, and northern. The art of each of these zones is distinctive and easily recognizable, even to an untrained eye.

Not all rock art in these three zones is prehistoric; in some areas these arts flourished into the late nineteenth century, while in other areas rock art continues to be made today. In the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa, a number of rock paintings depict clashes between San (Bushmen) people and European colonists mounted on horses and armed with rifles. Many of the Drakensberg works use subtle polychrome shading that gives their subjects a hint of three-dimensional presence. The product of many authors, time periods, and cultures, the flowing naturalism and lively sense of movement of the best rock art attests to the conviction of masterful hands and trained eyes.

Department of Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Citation

Department of Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. "African Rock Art ". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/rock/hd_rock.htm (October 2000)

Further Reading

Blundell, Geoffrey, ed. Origins: The Story of the Emergence of Humans and Humanity in Africa. Cape Town: Double Storey, 2006.

Coulson, David, and Alec Campbell. African Rock Art: Paintings and Engravings on Stone. New York: Abrams, 2001.

Garlake, Peter. Early Art and Architecture of Africa. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Le Quellec, Jean-Loïc. Rock Art in Africa: Mythology and Legend. Paris: Flammarion, 2004.

Lewis-Williams, J. David. Images of Mystery: Rock Art of the Drakensberg. Cape Town: Double Storey, 2003.

Lewis-Williams, J. David, and David G. Pearce. San Spirituality: Roots, Expression, and Social Consequences. Walnut Creek, Calif.: AltaMira Press, 2004.

Smith, Benjamin. Zambia's Ancient Rock Art: The Paintings of Kasama. Livingstone, Zambia: National Heritage Conservation Commission, 1997.

Suggested Online Resources

Rock Art Research Institute

South African Museum rock paintings and engravings

South African Museum rock paintings and engravings

Trust for African Rock Art (TARA)

Related exhibitions and online features

Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)

The Essential Art of African Textiles: Design Without End

Other Online Features

Africa: Continent of Origins