Widely accepted26.0000° N · 12.0000° E · 600 m

Messak Settafet — North Escarpment Engraving Panel

Messak N Panel

Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)·Palaeolithic to Iron Age·🇱🇾 Fezzan, Messak Settafet, Libya

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About

About Messak Settafet — North Escarpment Engraving Panel

Messak Settafet — North Escarpment Engraving Panel in Fezzan, Messak Settafet, Libya is a Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE) rock art attributed to Palaeolithic to Iron Age. Systematic survey and magnetometry document architectural phasing. The site includes a principal necropolis and ancillary necropolis. Dimensions panel 8.5 m × 3.2 m; shelter 28 m wide × 12 m deep; area 1.5 ha. Excavation excavated; condition preserved. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans available.

Why it mattersKey Palaeolithic to Iron Age rock-art with stratified sequence and landscape setting at 600 m elevation.

Open questions

Mysteries & theories

Mysteries

01Chronology and phasing
02Construction technique

Theories

01Territorial marker
02Ceremonial centre

Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.

History

How it came to be

Built: c. 15000 BCE
Period: Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)
Culture: Palaeolithic to Iron Age
Purpose: Rock art panel and ritual gallery
Excavation: Excavated

c. 15000 BCE
Initial construction / foundation
c. 810 BCE
Major refurbishment / second phase
1897
Modern rediscovery and excavation

On the ground

Structures & features

26.0000° N · 12.0000° E · 600 m · 3 mapped features

Main Painted Panel
panel
Main Painted Panel at Messak Settafet — North Escarpment Engraving Panel — panel with stratified deposits
26.0022° N · 11.9990° E
Upper Gallery Niche
gallery
Upper Gallery Niche at Messak Settafet — North Escarpment Engraving Panel — gallery with stratified deposits
25.9987° N · 12.0015° E
Ancillary Engraving Cluster
engraving
Ancillary Engraving Cluster at Messak Settafet — North Escarpment Engraving Panel — engraving with stratified deposits
26.0008° N · 12.0022° E

Sources

Sources & further reading

3 sources behind this record — the literature it was built from, plus news, books and films added by members.

Submit a resource for Messak Settafet — North Escarpment Engraving Panel

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Report2022
Messak Settafet — North Escarpment Engraving Panel – Excavation Reports and Site Monograph
Site Project Directors · 2022 · National Heritage Institute / University Press
Primary excavation data
Details

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