PREHISTORIC 

 ART 



of the 



LIBYAN SAHARA 



Thousands of years before the Christian era, when a tropical vegetation 

 still covered the Sahara, a mysterious civilization flourished in the 

 Acacus Massif region of southwest Libya. All that remains of this ancient 

 culture is the magnificent rock paintings and carvings left behind when 

 climatic changes and the encroaching desert presumably forced the in- 

 habitants to abandon their native home. 



The rock paintings and carvings of the Acacus, which date from about 

 6,000 b.c. to about 2,000 B.C., were discovered by Dr. Fabrizio Mori, who 

 led four Italian expeditions to the area between 1955 and 1959. The 

 paintings demonstrate an extraordinary artistic output and development. 

 There are magnificent representations of herds of cattle; and human fig- 

 ures of refinement and elegance. The petroglyphs depict powerful and 

 spirited scenes of buffaloes, rhinoceroses, giraffes, and elephants. Many 

 important elements in the life of Neolithic Age peoples are shown — the 

 hunt, tribal life, battles, and magic religious rites. Through this unique 

 documentation, it has become possible partially to reconstruct the history 

 of the great desert region of the Sahara. 



To bring this important discovery to the general public, a remarkable 

 exhibition — "Prehistoric Art of the Libyan Sahara" — has been organized 

 by the Italian government and brought to the United States under aus- 

 pices of the Italian Cultural Institute. The main section of the exhibition 

 consists of more than twenty large panels — exact water- 

 color copies of the rock paintings, made in the same 

 sizes as the originals by artist-members of the Italian 

 expeditions. Added to these are eleven photographic 

 panels of the petroglyphs, as well as maps and photo- 

 graphs of the Acacus and of the Italian expeditions. 

 This exhibition has been made available to the Mu- 

 seum by the American Federation of Arts, and will be 

 displayed in Stanley Field Hall from December 1 

 through January 2. 



Many questions remain to be answered concerning 

 the prehistoric art of the Sahara. Although five main 

 epochs have been discerned, the chronology of the 

 paintings and engravings has been difficult to estab- 

 lish. There are also surprising similarities between 

 the various epochs of the Libyan art and the paintings 

 and sculpture of Pre-Dynastic and Early Dynastic 

 Egypt. Dr. Mori will soon return to the Acacus to 

 begin excavations that he is convinced will reveal 

 tangible remains of the prehistoric civilization of the 

 Sahara now known only through its unique and splen- 

 did works of art. paula r. nelson 



Page b December 



