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Whereas some scholars (Mori, Hallier, Striedter & Tauveron …)
also ascribe some engravings to this style, we prefer to
describe here only the classical "Round Head" paintings of the
Tassili-n-Ajjer and Tadrart Acacus region as they are
particularly astonishing: the characters, often with a round
head without any anatomic details, seem to float on the sites;
the atmosphere is "esoteric" and the rare animals represented
(mostly Barbary sheep and antelopes) have a static attitude: one
is inclined to say that they are waiting for something to
happen.
Lhote identified several sub-styles: the most famous is perhaps
that of the Martians. They were given this name by Lhote's team
because of the resemblance of these characters with space-suited
astronauts. But some characters also have normal anatomic facial
features. In this case, some researchers say they recognize
"europoid" features. Geographical distribution: Tassili-n-Ajjer,
south-west Fezzan. Researchers have suggested analogies between
these central Saharan paintings and a few paintings and
engravings in the Ennedi and in Djado region. The "Round Heads"
of the Jebel al-Uweynat and Gilf Kebir area, in the Libyan
Desert, are so called because of their perfectly round heads.
But as they differ from the "classic" ones in the Central Sahara
in a number of other stylistic features, and as they are very
far away from them too, one should always specify here "Round
Heads of the Jebel al-Uweynat/Gilf Kebir area". |
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