Institut d'Arqueologia UB (IAUB), Barcelona, Spain; Departament de Història i Arqueologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
2 papers in the library · 1 citation · publishing 2025
Musical instruments depicted at rock art sites in Zimbabwe have received little systematic study. This article compiles and classifies such motifs from publications and the SARADA archive, then examines whether they are linked to altered states of consciousness. It also explores possible connections between gender and music, and comments on regional differences in how instruments are portrayed.
Dance in southern Africa was closely tied to music and sound, typically performed outdoors, and held social significance beyond entertainment. This article examines dance scenes depicted in rock art on the Zimbabwean plateau, using established criteria to identify iconographic representations and cross-referencing them with ethnographic sources. The analysis reveals that ritual dances, often gendered and involving altered states of consciousness, are central themes in the rock art. The research provides a preliminary framework based on existing literature and underscores the need for further fieldwork to uncover additional sites and explore the relationship between dance scenes and their landscapes.