List of the most popular hashtags for theme #ROCKCARVINGS

The #rockcarvings at Achnabreck look so stunning and #mysterious when the light catches them. • They’re among the largest and most complex motifs in #Scotland. • We can only speculate about the original meaning of these cup and ring marks, made around 5,000 years ago. • Our researchers Tertia and Maya are working with communities all over Scotland to investigate prehistoric #rockart. • #cupandringmarks #prehistory #neolithic #kilmartinglen #scotland

The boat in the middle of the photo got the usual crew consisting of lines, two of them equipped with question mark shaped figures that is thought to be bronze lurs. The boat is also carrying an animal with antler shaped like a beaming sun. A beautiful carving at the beautiful Massleberg site.

Photo by @mike_hettwer - The Dabous Giraffes are located in the Sahara Desert in the West African country of Niger. Viewed as one of the top rock carvings in the world, they are estimated to be 7,000 - 9,000 years old. The carving in hard granite took several years to complete and was only found relatively recently by a French archeologist in 1987. The adult giraffe on the left has a leash on its nose implying that some giraffes were tamed. If you look closely you can see a juvenile giraffe behind the adult and it also has a leash. This area of northern Niger, along with southern Algeria and southern Libya, have over 10,000 rock art carvings and read like a great photo album about life thousands of years ago. This photo was part of a National Geographic magazine story called Lost Tribes of the Green Sahara which documented the discovery of a pair of ancient civilizations from 2,000 to 10,000 years ago. It was also the subject of a PBS television film called Skeletons of the Sahara. You can paste this link into a browser to read the full story and see many more photos of the skeletons, tools and jewelry found here:  http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/green-sahara/gwin-text.html. The Gobero site was found on a Paul Sereno dinosaur/archeology expedition along with distinguished scientists from Niger. Over 250 human skeletons were discovered here in one of the largest hunter-gatherer cemeteries ever found. It has been at risk for vandalism and looters, and to protect it, a life size mold was made. A cast made from it was on display at National Geographic headquarters in Washington D.C. for several years. There are still giraffes in Niger and you can usually see them on the side of the road on the fifteen hour drive between the capital Niamey and the ancient desert trading city of Agadez that we use as a base camp. #art #rockart #rockcarvings #dabous #niger #algeria #libya #africa #sahara #agadez #giraffes #archeology #expedition #tuareg #neolithic #beauty #paulsereno #greensahara #gobero @petergwin @natgeo @mike_hettwer

Photo by @JohnStanmeyer • Petroglyphs carved upon stones over 8000 years ago, rest under moonlight in Wadi Hafir, one of the most spectacular wadi’s (valleys) in southern Jordan, located within the ancient landscape of Wadi Rum. • Pleased to share my latest project, @bridging.stories, here on Instagram. Thank you kindly for following, @JohnStanmeyer • @natgeo @natgeotravel @natgeocreative @thephotosociety #jordan #wadihafir #wadirum #petroglyphs #moonlight #rocks #rockcarvings #rockart

Zooming out from the boat with animals from the last post to reveal the surrounding images. If all the pictures are connected they make a very complex scene with bulls being led onto a boat, surrounded by a snake, a deer, a person ploughing and a couple of warriors. Rock carving from Aspeberget, Tanum World heritage.

My little explorer at Tamgaly Tas petroglyphs, where beautiful images of Buddha and Burhans (Bodhisattvas) were found. Due to strong sun, they aren’t visible too well on photos. The drawings are accompanied by exquisite Tibetan inscriptions. The drawings date back to the XIV-XVI centuries. As a whole, the images in the Tamgaly-Tas represent a Buddhist sanctuary in the open air. #travellingwithkids #explorer #tamgalytas #kazakhstan #history #petroglyphs #rockcarvings #казахстан #петроглифы #тамгалытас #wanderlust

One of the most amazing things I've seen: The stone carvings in Tanum. Absolutely beautiful! Almost 3.000 years ago, people of Tanum decided that some stories must be kept through generations. Today these magical pieces of art have lost their original meanings, but one thing remain: These stories were important. This craving shows a hunter and a deer, two ships, and possibly another human figure, that was never finished. • • • • #tanum #tanumhede #rockcarving #rockcarvings #bronzeage #helleristninger #vitlyckemuseum #vitlycke #art #petroglyphs #petroglyph

The main panel at Aspeberget in all its glory. The images from our last few posts are located top right.

The Hornes site in Østfold, Norway. We got new article (in Swedish) introduction this our neighbouring rock art area, you can find a link in the biography. Hopefully there will be a translation to English coming pretty soon.