Ancient Saharan Art – Decoding Art through Theoretically-sounded Archive

Project Information

ASArt-DATA

Grant agreement ID: 795744

DOI

10.3030/795744

Project closed

EC signature date 10 August 2018

Start date 1 January 2019

End date 31 December 2021

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 244 269,00

EU contribution

€ 244 269,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ASArt-DATA (Ancient Saharan Art – Decoding Art through Theoretically-sounded Archive)

Reporting period: 2021-01-01 to 2021-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

ASArt-DATA addressed the study of Saharan rock art that represents one of the most challenging topics of the archaeological and anthropological investigation of the region.
Rock art is one of humankind's most fascinating and widespread cultural manifestations: it offers a unique and significant visual archive into the social and symbolic worlds of past human societies. The complexity of recordind and publication and the difficulty of dating have hampered its immense potential as an archaeological source. The lack of a theoretically sound interpretive perspective linking local peculiarities with general overviews has reduced its powerful capacity of transmitting human thoughts and emotions. This is particularly true for the region of the present Sahara Desert, where outstanding paintings and engravings suffer natural and anthropogenic threats.
Thanks to the collaboration of the Department of Ancient World Studies of the Sapienza University of Rome and the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the support of International Institutions, such as the Libyan Department of Archaeology in Tripoli, the International Center for the Study of Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), and private archives (Anne-Michelle & Axel Van Albada Archive, Donatella Calati & Aldo Boccazzi Archive, and Adriana Ravenna & Sergio Scarpa Falce Archive), the Project set a new standard for an integrated study of this fragile heritage.
ASArt-DATA actions developed on specific objectives with an archaeological research question, a targeted theoretical focus on the role of rock art in archaeological and anthropological research, and a particular focus on raising awareness of the preservation, promotion, and transmission of rock art heritage as a meaningful transcultural agent.
The publication of the full catalogue of the Tadrart Acacus rock art sites as an edited volume and an open-access Atlas customized for scientific research, cultural resources management, dissemination, and communication represents the cornerstone of the Project. It mainly relies on the data coming from the archive of the Archaeological Mission in the Sahara of Sapienza University of Rome, and other sets of data kindly shared by the mentioned private archives.
The specific archaeological research question addressed the analysis of the rock art produced by Saharan pastoral Neolithic communities living in the Tadrart Acacus between 6300 and 2700 BCE, with a primary focus on the Tadrart Acacus and Messak rock art sites, located in south-western Libya area between the late seventh and the first millennium BCE.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

ASArt-DATA project had four main specific objectives that have been addressed through an intertwined set of actions during the outgoing and the incoming phases. Most of the tasks have been carried out with minor deviations from the original program and the milestones and derivable that were achieved by the end of the project.
One of the main works performed was the conceptualization, creation, and implementation of the complete catalogue of more than 740 rock art sites of Tadrart Acacus Libyan massif.
A second crucial work was the in-depth analysis of the human representations of the Pastoral Neolithic central Saharan rock art, which will be completed in the following months. A first analysis of the entire archive of the Tadrart Acacus rock art sites will be further compared with the adjacent region to outline a renewed (bottom-up) pattern of the contacts and ideological interactions inside Sahara during the Pastoral Neolithic period since its formative phases. The training on visual studies and gender carried out during the project gave a sound theoretical and methodological background to the conceptualization, analysis, and synthesis of data.
During the incoming phase, the ER completed the training objectives with a fellowship at the International Center for the Study of Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). She improved her knowledge of Cultural Heritage management. The internship allowed an in-depth study of the strategies adopted by scholars, local authorities, and international intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in protecting, promoting, and transmitting the rock art included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The scientific results of the project have been disseminated at scientific and public events and through publications.
The actions developed during the whole project had a significant impact on the Host Institution and the ER's scientific profile and career development. The ER transfer the knowledge acquired during the outgoing phases in many different ways, including the training of students in scientific and transversal skills, active collaborations in the body of governing, and actions to increase participation in international research programs.
The ER gained experience in the digital humanities, visual studies, gender issues, cultural heritage management, and many different transversal skills, improving her scientific and academic profile. The project's most critical impact has been on the ER career development, with a tenure-track appointment at the Host Institution.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

ASArt-DATA project has - and will continue to have - a significant impact on scientific research, dissemination, and cultural heritage management of Saharan rock art sites.
After many years of research in the Saharan massifs, improvement in information and data technologies and online resources allow us to create and maintain a cross-checked list of sites formerly registered in different archives, often under different names.
The Atlas of the Tadrart Acacus is expected to become a powerful tool for scholars interested in rock art and governmental (Libyan) and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations dealing with cultural heritage (e.g. UNESCO, ICCROM, ICOMOS). It could have a significant role in the ongoing corrective actions to remove the Tadrart Acacus rock art sites from the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger.
The in-depth analysis of human representation in Pastoral rock art will represent a cornerstone in the study of Saharan rock art, leading to a significant improvement in understanding the visual archive of the central Saharan Pastoral Neolithic groups. The gender approach is deliberately considered, evaluating the high potential for gender statements in ancient societies, already emphasized in some other rock art contexts in the last 20 years, but still underestimated in the Saharan rock art.
Rock art is one of the most fragile heritage expressions, but at the same time, it could be one of the most powerful tools to raise awareness of the cultural values of past remains. The immediate visual power of the art has an emotional impact on contemporary observers. ASArt-DATA project will try to exploit this underdeveloped potential, with the ultimate goal of strengthening the connection between archaeological and anthropological studies and also between academia and society.

Map of the Tadrart Acacus and Messak rock art sites investigated by the ASArt-DATA project