Finding the Meaning of San and Khoe Rock Engravings

In the 1900s these engraved boulders were collected from various localities around South Africa. In 2019, these 80 boulders were finally put on public display at Origins Centre, under the curation of the Rock Art Research Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Note how the zebra's individual stripes have been pecked into this rock engraving. 

In this image the artist has depicted a rhinoceros. Rhinos often visited rocky outcrops to rub themselves against the rocks. Rhinoceros engravings are sometimes found near the rocks they used to rub against. 

Note how the skin folds are carefully portrayed in this engraved (pecked) rhinoceros.

In this image we can see one of the largest animals in the world - the African elephant. 
Elephants are mythical creatures linked to both male and female initiation ceremonies in San belief systems today.

This artist chose to depict a resting wildebeest, an antelope found in southern Africa. 

Many engravings were made using a pecking technique by hammering and chipping away at the rock surface to create the image.

In their original setting, on a small hill or in an open grassland, at certain times of day as the sun changed position in the sky the engravings would have 'magically' appeared. This was presumably the intention of the engraver, and added to the impact of the image on the stone

Many of the engraved depictions are realistic animal forms, but which carried symbolic meaning and associations.

Here, an eland is depicted, one of the most important creatures within San cosmology. 

The rock art and recorded oral traditions have captured the beauty and power of the eland.

A sharp object was used to make fine-line engravings to create an image on the hard rock surface - often in single, seemingly effortless, strokes. Here the form of the eland is beautifully captured.

Geometric engravings are difficult to ascribe authorship to. Scholars largely agree that geometrics pertain to personal markings used in girls’ initiation ceremonies in both Khoe and San societies. 

Hunter-gatherer and early herder groups are thought to be ancestral to the San and Khoe people that were written about in the early 16^th and 17^th century by Europeans. 
There are many debates about how these early societies may have interacted, integrated and changed over time. 

Today, every effort is made to conserve rock engravings and painted rock art in their original context. However, rock art is salvaged when mining and other developments place them under threat. Origins Centre is honoured to curate, and display these beautiful rock engravings.

The Origins Centre has an Augmented Reality (AR) App that's bringing the museum to life! Get a sneak peek into this fun experience from home, by downloading the OriginsCentreAR app for free (available on IOS and Android). Choose 'Engravings', scan these orange re-drawings, and watch the animals appear on your screen