The Dabous Giraffes

Dabous Giraffes - Petroglyph - 9000-5000 BC - 20 feet high - Niger, AfricaDabous Giraffes Replica (click photo for larger image)“Dabous Giraffes”—a neolithic petroglyph of a male and female giraffe— created by an unknown artist. Completed between 9000 and 5000 BC, the carving is 20 feet (around 6 metres) in height and highly detailed. These giraffes (plus 828 other small petroglyphs of animals and human figures) were carved into rock near the Air mountains of Niger. Designs engraved along with the giraffe images suggest a shamanistic significance. The giraffe carvings were first documented by one David Depuy in 1987, while he was on a photographic excursion. A field site expedition took place ten years later, organized by the Trust for African Rock Art (TARA), for the purposes of determining how to to preserve the petroglyph. People had become aware of the site’s existence—attempts were being made to steal pieces from it—the surface was getting worn from being walked on—and it was being covered with graffiti. In 1998, the Bradshaw Foundation proposed the idea of creating a reproduction of the petroglyph that would do the original no harm. But moulding petroglyphs is often looked down upon because past mouldings were made by people who didn’t entirely master the necessary techniques. They degraded the originals, leaving horrible-looking latex, resin, or plaster remains in the hollows and around the petroglyphs which permanently defaced them. Another criticism was that moulding changes the chemistry of the surface rock and prevents any future varnish study. So, with a project of this nature, scale, and delicacy, permission was needed from both UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and the government of Niger. The team assembled made a preliminary expedition to the site to determine the viability of a moulding process. In January 1999, the Bradshaw Foundation, in association with the Trust for African Rock Art, the National Geographic Society, UNESCO and the Niger government, accepted responsibility for the task. The company of Ateliers Pierre Merindol in Avignon, France was hired to execute the work—and did so with great precision and success. Local people continued to be used to guard the site and ongoing work being done—a process which took about two years. Silicone was used to create the mould. The first aluminum cast of the giraffes was gifted to the nearby town of Agadez, at the International Airport Terminal, and subsequent casts have appeared in exhibits around the world. It was a long, arduous, and costly journey—and once again the arts culture surrounding it was multi-layered. But we now have a way to successfully reproduce such works at these—without damage to the original. Petroglyphs are very vulnerable to the elements, so having them reproduced is essential.