WASRAP

In January 2013, the Franco-Egyptian Collaboration project for Wadi Abu Subeira began work in a new concession in this large Wadi located 12 km north of Aswan. The project concession, covers an 8 x 4 km (32 km2) area and is situated in the eastern extension of those currently held by A. Kelany in the mouth of the Wadi. The aim of this ongoing project is to survey and record rock art stations and archaeological features in order to further our understanding of this mode of artistic expression over time and in relation to the social identities of the people who inhabited this landscape. The main findings of our first season of work included the identification of 15 archaeological structures and 33 rock art stations.

These date from the Epipalaeolithic up to the present day. The most numerous rock art sites are Predynastic in date (Naqada and Early Dynastic periods), based on stylistic features and subject matter. Of particular note was the singular discovery in Locus 10 of a complex scene on the surface of a large boulder.The content of which proved to be the most important found this year. The Locus 10 boulder, measuring 200 x 70 cm, was located in the dry riverbed of the main Wadi. Much of the boulder’s surface was covered by sand which had to be cleared away. As cleaning progressed, a complex hunting scene emerged, including 8 human figures and 37 animals (31 dogs, 3 bulls, 2 elephants and one unidentifiable mammal).

The hunting scene can be divided into four groups, each comprising human figures and dogs. Three groups contain a central figure of a bull, whilst the fourth group includes a comparatively larger human figure with upraised arms. Based on the style of the different figures, compositional features of the scene and the subject matter, it is possible to suggest that this panel dates to the Naqada IIC-D phases. The figures were finely engraved into the surface of the boulder and then well-polished. However, due to the partial weathering of the surface and challenges presented by natural lighting conditions, discerning all scene elements was difficult.

Documenting the imagery with conventional digital photography also failed to fully and clearly capture all details. In an attempt to address these documentation challenges we trialled the advanced digital imaging technique Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI). RTI is a type of computational photography that is similar to conventional photographic documentation in that the camera and target surface remain in fixed positions, a key difference is the application of a moveable light source.

A handheld flash or strobe is systematically applied from a slightly different location whilst taking a series of photographs. These multiple exposures are then combined using an open access fitting software. A digital image of the surface is created that can be virtually relit, giving the appearance of a 3D surface. This interactive re-lighting feature, together with algorithmic rendering modes enables the user to create enhanced visualisations of surface features, making study and archaeological illustration easier and more accurate and rigorous.

Our aim in trialling RTI was three-fold: firstly, to test the feasibility of applying this imaging technology in the challenging field environment of Wadi Subeira; secondly, to assess the cost-effectiveness and potential for RTI to complement and augment conventional documentation techniques, including accurate illustration without recourse to the original surface; thirdly, to explore the potential of RTI to provide new data for analysis and interpretation, as well as raise new questions.

We will briefly report on the requirements for undertaking RTI in the field context for the purpose of rock art documentation, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages for different surface types, locations, configurations and other conditions.We then present the results of this trial, showing how the high resolution photographs provide detailed shape information about the rock surface that enables the study and analysis of imagery at a level of detail and rigour not previously feasible.

In addition to gaining new insight into what was depicted, we also gained access to new levels of information about the life history of the rock surface. Aspects of the image creation process, e.g. engraving and polishing, as well as taphonomic processes were made more visible. Through comparison of this new scene with other known hunting scenes from the late Naqada period, we discuss the fresh insights it provides into early hunting practices, particularly within the environment of the desert margins. We also consider the social implications of acts of marking the wadi landscape and how this may have fit into the construction of Naqadian elites identity and prestige as part of hunting campaigns. Were such scenes deployed for perceived efficacious purposes, such as ensuring a successful hunt? Should we understand panels as territorial markers within the physical landscape? Or perhaps such imagery also served as a conceptual marker, asserting power and status within a wider social landscape?