Tassili n'ajjer: paleocontact in the remote past in the sahara?
To the south-east of Algeria, on a plateau in the Sahara desert, there are a large number of rock engravings and paintings: the oldest date back to 12 thousand years ago. Made by our hunter-gatherer ancestors, these figures tell of a past unknown to us. According to the paleocontact theory, ancient artists tried to depict ancient astronauts who came into direct contact with them.
Tassili n'Ajjer is a vast plateau located in the Sahara desert, south-east of Algeria, which covers an area of 72 thousand km2. Located in a strange lunar landscape of great geological interest, this site contains the largest and most important collection of prehistoric rock art in the world.
To date, 15 thousand engravings and drawings have been identified, in which climate changes, animal migrations and the evolution of human life are recorded in a period of time between 12 thousand and 6 thousand years ago.
The exceptional density of paintings and engravings, and the presence of numerous prehistoric remains, have earned the Tassili n'Ajjer site the reputation of "the best open-air museum of prehistory in the world", so much so that it has been included in the list of World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO.
Discovered in 1933, the artistic collection concerns a series of rock works created on exposed rock faces and includes images of wild and domestic animals, humans and geometric designs. The identification of mysterious mythical beings, such as men with animal heads, deities or spiritual beings, also caused a sensation. To the eye of modern visitors, many figures appear to have a close resemblance to devices such as helmets, antennas or technological weapons, so much so that supporters of the Ancient Astronaut Theory consider Tassili n'Ajjer one of the most important sites where to find safe traces of the extraterrestrial paleocontact.
Clearly, any theory on the subject enters the realm of speculation, given that there are no written documents that can clarify the nature, identity and meaning of the beings depicted in the rock. This is information lost forever.
What is certain is that the art of Tassili n'Ajjer covers five distinct periods, each of which corresponds to a particular fauna and can be identified thanks to stylistic differences. However, the precise dating of the various periods is also a matter of debate among scholars, as the styles sometimes seem to overlap.
Today, the proposed chronology is:
First period : the oldest art belongs to what has been defined as the "naturalist period", and is estimated to have been created between 12000 and 6000 BC. It is characterized by the depiction of the fauna of the savannah, characterized by a more humid environmental condition compared to today. Elephants, giraffes, hippos, rhinos and other animals can be recognised.
Second period : called the "round head" or "archaic period", between 9500 and 6000 BC. This period is associated with the depiction of enigmatic figures, the Round Heads, which evoke probable magical-religious practices. In general, Roundheads are depicted in profile and seemingly floating in the air.
In one scene, women are depicted with their hands raised, as if seeking blessing from a huge structure towering above them. Fabrizio Mori, an Italian paleontologist, described the scene like this: "One senses in them a sense of affectionate subjection, without fear of the divine, of pure adoration." Ancient Astronaut theorists equate the paleocontact hypothesis to this period.
Third period : classified as the "pastoral" or "Bovidian" period, between 7200 and 3000 BC. This is the most prolific period in terms of the number of paintings, in which scenes of cattle breeding and daily life are depicted. The aesthetic realism makes it among the best-known examples of prehistoric art.
Fourth period : called "of the horse"; it dates back to an era between 3200 and 1000 BC, including the end of the Neolithic and corresponding to the disappearance of numerous animal species, following the progressive drying of the climate and the change in the horse.
Some scenes depict horses pulling chariots driven by unarmed charioteers, which suggests that the chariots were not used for fighting, but perhaps for hunting. However, wooden-wheeled carts could not have been easily driven across the rocky terrain of the Sahara. Even in this case, we find ourselves faced with a conundrum.
Fifth period : the last part of the paintings corresponds to the "Camel Period", located between 2000 and 1000 BC. This period coincides with the appearance of the hyper-arid desert and the appearance of the dromedary.
Despite the large number of works found by researchers, although they represent a glimpse into the life of the ancient peoples of the Sahara, many questions still remain open about who made the engravings and paintings of Tassili n'Ajjer and what they represent.
