The Wadi al-Ajal Rock Art Project, Libya

Between 2004 and 2009, a small team of archaeologists led by Dr Tertia Barnett conducted a systematic survey of rock carvings in the Wadi al-Ajal, in the Fezzan region of south west Libya. The survey aimed to determine the extent of rock art in this area, and unravel how its relationship with the cultural and natural landscapes altered over time as a proxy for examining human social change. The Wadi al-Ajal rock art forms part of a complex, multi-layered rock art tradition practiced in the Sahara from at least 6000 BC to recent times. Within this 8000 year time-span, the Saharan landscape was transformed by profound changes in prevailing climate and social practice. The rock art provides unique evidence for how people perceived, valued and used their surroundings during this period.

The survey identified 2,500 previously unknown carved rocks featuring several thousand individual engraved figurative and abstract motifs, rock markings, and inscriptions. Detailed spatial, quantitative, descriptive and visual records of the engravings and their contexts were created for every carved rock. The data were analysed using a combination of GIS, statistics, and visual interrogation and were made available online via DataShare, the open access research data repository at the University of Edinburgh.

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Fieldwork was funded by the Society for Libyan Studies and a small research grant from The British Academy, and supported throughout by the Society for Libyan Studies in collaboration with the Society of Antiquities in Tripoli and Sabha. Line drawings for a selection of engraved rocks were funded by a second small research grant from The British Academy.

Barnett T F (2019) An Engraved Landscape: the rock carvings of the Wadi al-Ajal, Libya. Volume 1: Synthesis. London: Society for Libyan Studies

Barnett T F (2019) An Engraved Landscape: the rock carvings of the Wadi al-Ajal, Libya. Volume 2: Gazetteer. London: Society for Libyan Studies

Barnett T F and Guagnin M (2014) Changing places: rock art and Holocene landscapes in the Wadi al-Ajal, south west Libya. Journal of African Archaeology

Barnett T F (2009) Style, symbolism and cultural identity in the Wadi al-Hayat. Libyan Studies 40: 155-170

Barnett T F (2006) Dancing girls and insect headed gods: recent rock art survey in the Wadi al-Hayat, Fezzan. Libyan Studies 37: 95-116

Barnett T F (2006) Libyan rock art as a cultural heritage resource. In Mattingly D, McLaren S, Savage E, al-Fasatwi Y and Gadgood K (eds) The Libyan Desert: natural resources and cultural heritage. London: Society for Libyan Studies: 95-110

Barnett T F (2005) Patterns on the rocks: spatial distribution of rock art in the Wadi al-Ajal. Libyan Studies 36: 121-134

Barnett T F (2003) Saharan landscapes: contextualised rock art as a cultural heritage resource in Libya. Rock Art Research 20(2):137-142

Barnett T F (2004) Secrets of the Stones: rock art of Libya and the Sahara. In Splendours of Libya. Single Line: Cambridge, Mass, sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America

Barnett T F with Mattingly D M (2003) The Engraved Heritage: Rock-Art and Inscriptions. In Mattingly D J, Daniels C M, Dore J N, Edwards D, and Hawthorne J (eds) The archaeology of Fazzan: synthesis. Vol I. London/Tripoli: Libyan Studies Society/Department of Antiquities: 279-326

Barnett T F (2002) Rock-art, landscape and cultural transition in the Wadi al-Ajal, Libyan Fezzan. Libyan Studies 33: 71-8

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