FIRST EVIDENCES OF PREHISTORIC ROCK ART IN THE CAMEL CAVE (ZEGZEL, BERKANE, MOROCCO)

Abstract

First evidence of prehistoric rock art in Camel cave (Zegzel Gorges, Berkane, Morocco). These first annotations present the discovery of prehistoric parietal rock art in the Camel cave located in the Zegzel Valley, in Eastern of Morocco. It is an important karst complex, which was listed as a National Heritage Site in December 1953, and has been the subject of various geological, speleological, and now archaeological studies. With these preliminary notes we intend to publicize this news and draw the attention of researchers. This discovery, which enriches the country's national rock art heritage, consists of a small panel of prehistoric "figurative, semifigurative and geometric" engravings, currently under study, and a project is planned to determine its age and cultural context. It should be noted that in Morocco or even in the Maghreb rock art inside underground caves is unknown, consequently, it may be the only known cave with this type of manifestations to date.