A rock art palimpsest: evidence of the relative ages of some Eastern Desert petroglyphs *

Abstract

In general it is difficult to base reliable estimates of the date of a petroglyph on its degree of patination because the rate at which the patina forms is unknown. In some cases, however, the conditions to which adjacent images have been subject, and therefore their rate of patination, can be assumed to be similar and the sequence in which they were drawn can be deduced. One such, in the Eastern Desert east of Kom Ombo, is reported here. Groups of images of different subjects, mainly animals and anthropoids, drawn in different styles, can be distinguished and conclusions about their ages can be drawn.