ROCK ART AT SÜDERECKE, NAMIBIA

Süderecke (meaning Southern Corner) indicates the SE corner of the enormous sandstone plateau where also the well-known rock art site of Twyfelfontein is situated. It is an unprotected site, unfortunately, that is dominated by geometric designs. There is one small rock shelter with some very faint paintings and on top of the shelter are faint engravings. Near the rock shelter are several large and medium-sized slabs and boulders that mainly bear geometric designs. The first photo shows circles with appendages that give them a comet-like appearance. The second photo shows one of the very few animal engravings near circles and other grooves. The third photo shows linked circles and the last photo shows rings with tails. Notice in the last photo the difference in patination between the tailed circles and the larger oval just below the tailed rings. It either is much older or the tailed rings may have been re-pecked so that they appear much younger. To the NE of the painted shelter are extensive fields of scattered white quartz fragments and a few sandstone boulders with very faint engravings.

About 500m further west of the painted shelter is fairly large boulder with a south sloping surface that has almost entirely decorated with geometric designs in an inexplicable pattern. This boulder tumbled down the slopes of the plateau a long time ago and for that reason split in two parts. The south facing slab is resting the another, more horizontal part of the same stone. This horizontal slab is also heavily decorated, but this time the geometrics constitute more individual symbols like (concentric) rings with radials and connected by grooves and large and crude peckmarks(last two photos). Just south of this stone is a rough natural pavement of sandstone near which are some hut-circles that show that the site was once inhabited.

A short distance NE of the stone mentioned above is another split boulder with again its south facing and more steeply sloping surface being decorated with geometric designs, mainly circles. On the other part (not visible in the photo) is a crude ring of large peckmarks. South of the main site and on the west edge of the natural pavement is a much worn boulder with simple geometric designs.