There are many thousands of paintings in the granite hills and caves, most of them until recently undiscovered and unrecorded. Created many hundreds of years ago by societies that have long since disappeared, these paintings represent an important artistic tradition.

In this book, Peter Garlake studies the images painted and the different techniques and styles used. He summarises academic interpretation of African rock art over the last century and offers an evaluation of its importance and aesthetic value. The perceptions and beliefs of ancient San society are revealed through a study of its art and the author illustrates his views with numerous drawings copied from the originals and with colour photographs.

Hard Cover. Brand New/Brand New. 7.76 x 10".

Analyzes and compares the prehistoric rock paintings of Zimbabwe to show how the artists selected subjects and how the paintings were executed, and discusses the conventions that determined the paintings' styles and forms. Reconstructs the significance and meaning of the paintings by looking at them in the context of the basic tenets of the Sen societies that still survive on the outskirts of the Kalahari Desert. Includes b&w drawings and color photos of the paintings and their environment.