Newly discovered West Papuan rock art
News from the World Archaeological Congress WAC-7
"Divers at an ecolodge in West Papua have been instrumental in the discovery of new rock art from a lost civilisation.
Divers from the Misool Eco Resort spotted the previously unreported rock art and contacted Jean-Michel Chazine, a research engineer from the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS-France) three years ago to survey the discovery.
Jean-Michel Chazine presented his research at the international World Archaeology Congress in Jordan this week and commented “It is a small paradise for archaeologists. The paintings are very ornate and beautiful.”
The recent second survey of a new cluster of paintings upon cliffs sinking in the ocean in the Misool islands archipelago has provided new insights. Seven new sites, which enhanced already the total of sites to thirteen, have been discovered in the vicinity of the previous located sites. These new sites present also a large number of hands stencils, which would appear, apart two cases, in all painted places.
The other confirmation in content and expression concerns the subject of the paintings, which are in majority related to the sea fauna. Tuna, sharks, dolphins and general more or less large fishes’ features compose the main core of representations. Being represented in majority up or down in a vertical position, they would obviously correspond to a basic symbolic figure. Many signs, dots, patches, thin or bold lines circling cupules, are also scattered within paintings."
The full article at: http://wac7.worldarchaeologicalcongress.org/wac7_news.html
Posted by tiompan
26th January 2013ce
Edited 26th January 2013ce