October 15, 2017 The “Niola Doa-like” motifs in the Gran Riparo d’Archeï (Ennedi, Chad) Alessandro Menardi Noguera Correspondence: alessandromenardi@katamail.com Abstract: The existence in the Gran Riparo d’Archeï of paintings recalling the iconography of the famed Niola Doa petroglyphs was recognised at the time of the first reports, in the 90s. By scanning in 3D with a digital camera the already described evidence for a “Niola Doa culture” in this major site, a few but significant additional details are revealed. Fig. 1 - Location of the Gran Riparo d’Archeï, also known as Archeï VII. The satellite image in the background is from Digital Globe - Google Earth©. Introduction The Gran Riparo d'Archeï, first reported by Faleschini et al. (1994), is a spectacularly decorated shelter, located in the southern sector of the Ennedi Highland, five km southwest of the famed Archeï Guelta (Fig. 1). Following the publication of some selected paintings and petroglyphs (Negro & Faleschini 1996), this site was surveyed in full detail by line drawings and - Creative Common Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Alessandro Menardi Noguera Fig. 2 - 3D Model of the Archeï VII shelter in orthographic projection. Drip lines left by water flowing on the external façade of the shelter during rainfalls are evident. The 3D reconstruction of the shelter by Photoscan™ and Meshlab© is available on the Sketchfab website. Fig. 3 - Orthophoto of the main decorated panel in Archeï VII generated according to the 3D model developed in Photoscan™. The tie-point to the local arbitrary coordinate system has been conventionally made coincident with the downward pointing hand of the first painted figure to the left (conventional coordinates: 0-400 cm). Paintings on the lower head bed surface are not shown. The 3D model with the texture rendered in the CRGB colour space is available on the Sketchfab website. 2 https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera The Niola Doa Like Motifs In The Gran Riparo d’“rcheï Ennedi, Chad inventoried as Archeï VII (Choppy et al. 2002). Although the adopted survey method does not make justice to the vibrant colours of the art, modern digital pictures prove that little went unnoticed, even considering the few faded paintings needing image processing to be evidenced. By comparison with the nearby major sites, Archeï VII stands out for the recognised presence of some motifs that were related to the “Niola Doa culture” from the very first moment of their discovery (Faleschini et al. 1994). Niola Doa is the name of a wide constellation of rock art sites located in Wadi Guirchi, 150 km to the north-east of Archeï VII. These open-air sites are renowned for their life-size pecked humans sporting intricate body decorations (Simonis et al. 1994; Simonis et al. 1998). Closely associated cattle figures, featured by coats decorated in a similar fashion, firmly place the Niola Doa art in the pastoral period (e.g. the Dur Duro site, Simonis et al. 1994, Fig. 14; the “Panneau de Fuchs” in Choppy et al. 1996, page 132). By photo scanning, the documentation of painted motifs recalling the Niola Doa petroglyphs present in the shelter is enriched with iconographic details, and the general inventory of this peculiar art is extended. The compiled high-resolution 3D models of the Archeï VII main https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera 3 Alessandro Menardi Noguera Fig. 4 - Two figures wearing skirts, holding unidentified oval objects, and some goats, prevalently drawn by outlines. This composition is found on the shelter bottom wall (DStretch enhanced image, CRGB colour space). Fragments of much weathered, undecipherable paintings drawn by outlines, perhaps legs of human figures, possibly belonging to the archaic period, are visible on the upper left of the two figures wearing skirts. panel, with texture in RGB and DStretch-generated CRGB colour spaces (Harman 2017), have been published online on Sketchfab. The digital pictures from Niola Doa available in the British Museum collection online, shot by David Coulson, allow accurate comparisons between the Archeï VII paintings and the Niola Doa petroglyphs. The shelter The Archeï VII shelter is outstanding in term of dimensions, even by the Ennedi standards, being fifty meters wide, up to twelve meters deep in the middle, and twenty-two meters high at 4 https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera The Niola Doa Like Motifs In The Gran Riparo d’“rcheï Ennedi, Chad the vault culmination (Fig. 2). Its flat floor forms an elevated terrace overlooking to the south a sandy plain dotted by vegetation, still inhabited to these days. Paintings and petroglyphs are concentrated on the slightly overhanging surface of a sandstone head-bed outcropping along the western side of the shelter (Fig. 3). At first sight, this concentration looks anomalous in comparison with the few scattered paintings identifiable on the large bottom wall. Some of the bottom wall paintings, like the cute goats present in its lower middle section (Fig. 4), even escaped detection by the previous surveyors, as they are poorly noticeable. The seemingly artists’ preference for the shelter western side is understandable observing that the bottom wall, being exposed due south, is sunlit most of the day and offer very little protection. Besides, this wall corresponds to the outcropping surface of two vertical joints, deeply affected by weathering (Fig. 2). The western side of the shelter evidently enjoys a better microclimate and offers better preservation conditions for paintings. Anyway, the beautiful composition decorating the main panel did not escape severe selective decay of pigments. As proved by cattle figures surviving only by their white horns or coat dapples (Fig. 5 and 6), the visible paintings are just the skeleton of what was once a much more brilliant composition than today, certainly including pigments of unknown nature and hue, which completely disappeared. The art Five hundred painted motifs were counted as a minimum estimate within the Archeï VII main panel (Fig. 3). This count also includes two remarkable painted-engraved cattle figures and some engravings. Superimpositions and differences in style among paintings are evident, but the relative chronology is still unclear although Choppy et al. (2002) stated that it is possible to distinguish up to seven superimposed layers. However, two particular humans shown at the extreme right of the main panel (Fig. 5, 6 and 7; locations [400,0] and [410,22]) received particular attention by all Authors. They appear quite singular in comparison to the overwhelming majority of figures in the composition, similar in styles to the paintings Bailloud (1997) attributed to the recent “bovine” and ancient camel periods. This outstanding couple comprehends one figure wearing a skirt and one figure wearing only body accessories and decorations. Both figures share many of the most distinctive iconographic features of the Niola Doa pecked humans as shown in their core area of Wadi Guirchi (Fig. 8). https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera 5 Alessandro Menardi Noguera Fig. 5 - Orthophoto of the first section of the Archeï VII main panel from the 3D model generated by Photoscan™ and Meshlab©, rendered in QGis©. These paintings are found at the last location in Archeï VII where an artist can operate standing on the precipitous ledge by which the shelter floor ends. Drip lines are evidence of weathering by percolating water. Direct comparison of this couple with the first two humans to the left in the row of pecked figures depicted in the Niola Doa Site 1 (Simonis et al. 1994, Fig. 2) is made even more compelling by some additional matching details revealed by processing digital pictures. The spread fingers featuring the downwardly outstretched arm of the figure wearing a skirt is one of these crucial details not reproduced in the early surveys by film photography or by tracing (Simonis 6 https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera The Niola Doa Like Motifs In The Gran Riparo d’“rcheï Ennedi, Chad Fig. 6 - Orthophoto of the first section of the Archeï VII main panel from the 3D model, processed by DStretch (CRGB colour space). In all, six painted human figures comparable to the Niola Doa pecked humans are shown in the first section of the Archeï VII main panel (locations: [4,405], [23,418], [134,390], [100,369], [120,69], [163,333]). et al. 1994, Fig. 11; Choppy et al. 2002, page 119). Spread fingers are common in the Niola Doa iconography (Fig. 8). It must be outlined that the body proportions of the left figure do not look realistic, as the outstretched arm does not reach the hip. Shoulders and neck form a wedge shape tapering in a small head, barely distinguished by the nape curvature and by the presence of a tiny protuberance, possibly representing the chin (in the Niola Doa Site 1, a circle renders the head of the first figure to the left wearing a skirt). The belly is slightly prominent; the buthttps://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera 7 Alessandro Menardi Noguera (2) (1) (3) Fig. 7 - Orthophoto of the couple shown in the first section of the Archeï VII main panel (paintings 1 and 2). The picture enhanced in DStretch (CRGB colour space) shows some fine details making compelling the comparison of the painted figure wearing a skirt (1) with the first engraved figure wearing a skirt found to the right in the Niola Doa Site 1 (Fig. 6). To the lower right, digital processing reveals an otherwise invisible cattle figure (3), apparently in the same hue of the “fat” figure (2). 8 https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera The Niola Doa Like Motifs In The Gran Riparo d’“rcheï Ennedi, Chad Fig. 8 - The famed panel of Niola Doa in Wadi Guirchi (Photo: Gábor Merkl), originally discovered by Captain Courtet in 1954, inventoried as Site 1 (Simonis et al. 1994). tocks form a nearly normal angle with the back; the torso is decorated with dots likely representing body paintings or tattooing. Thin white lines, possibly representing armlets, bracelets, anklets and a necklace, complete the list of body decorations. A decorative pattern made of vertical white traits, arranged in five bands, enriches the skirt; a white horizontal line at the waist level could depict a belt. The second polychrome figure of the couple shown to the right (Fig. 7) is significantly taller. The hairstyle, body decorations, and accessories are painted in red. The faded body silhouette, filled in a very pale shadow of brown, is poorly distinguishable from the natural colour of the rock background. Narrow shoulders, wide waist, thick thighs and a prominent belly suggest an excess of abdominal fat. The right arm is outstretched down; the left forearm is bent with the wrist decorations raised at the shoulder level. This gesture recalls the recursive gesture typical of the “fat” figures holding sticks dominant in the Niola Doa sites, although no stick is visible and the hands are indistinguishable from the arms. The oval lower face bears tiny traces of https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera 9 Alessandro Menardi Noguera (2) (1) Fig. 9 - The lower half body (1) of a faded “fat” figure internally decorated with a vertical dashed pattern is made visible by images processed in DStretch (LDS colour space). A rounded shape topped by two diverging appendices with a third white appendix in-between is present on the upper right (2). This shape is superimposed by the horns of a white fragmentary cattle figure (rendered as blue in the DStretch generated false colours). white decorations (Fig. 7). The lower face depiction is very significant since it allows interpreting the rounded shape topping the head as a hairstyle, not as a “round head” of any sort. Two short diverging red appendices and a curled white appendix in-between, possibly representing a long feather, top this rounded shape. A much larger appendix, also painted in white, is hanging from its lower edge to the right. All these fine details considered together, including 10 https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera The Niola Doa Like Motifs In The Gran Riparo d’“rcheï Ennedi, Chad Fig. 10 - The largest figure wearing a skirt (1), shown in the Archeï VII main panel, looking comparable to the Niola Doa pecked humans in a skirt, is characterised by a downwardly stretched arm with spread fingers (CRGB colour space). (2) (1) (3) The feet fingers of the right feet, not damaged by percolating water, can be noted. The depiction of spread feet finger characterises many large-size figures documented at Niola Doa. The horizontal red trait (2) associated with a small white patch (3) in the shape of a “π”, could be the remnants of a larger figure holding a stick, which body was possibly drawn with a paint that disappeared completely. The selective decay of paints is not an unusual phenomenon as demonstrated by the hundreds cattle figures surviving only by the white horns, dubbed “phantom cattle” by Choppy et al. (2002). the intricate decorative pattern in white and red, internal to the rounded shape, are in good match with the head decorations of the Niola Doa “fat” figures. In the case of the Archeï VII “fat” figure, this possible hairstyle looks like a hat worn at a rakish angle, a fact with no known correspondence among the Niola Doa humans. Moreover, it is quite apart from the shoulders. The wristbands worn by the Archeï VII figure are nearly identical to the wristbands featuring the last two “fat” humans to the right documented in the Niola Doa Site 2 (Simonis et al. 1994, Fig. 4 ). https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera 11 Alessandro Menardi Noguera A lozenge-shaped motif, painted in red and white, plus thin horizontal white lines decorate the belly of the Archeï VII “fat” human (Fig. 7). These belly decorations are directly comparable with the belly decorations of the dominant humans shown in the Niola Doa Site 1 (Fig. 8). A thick, slightly inclined white line, depicted at the waist level possibly represents a belt, which loose end seems identifiable above the right hip. Fig. 11 - A rounded shape topped by two red appendices in the shape of a “V”, with two white curved appendices in-between, is present in the middle of the Archeï VII main panel. Internal decorations painted in white are visible. In the case of the Archeï VII “fat” figure, the most significant departure from the scheme of body decorations and accessories typical of the Niola Doa humans is represented by the dotted pattern covering the lower body. As in the Niola Doa counterparts, no primary sex attributes or gender-specific items like weapons can be recognised in the Archeï VII unique example of “fat” human. Differences in size between the two figures of the couple could emphasise the general difference in height between women and men or a difference in status related to social prestige. Obviously, a single, poorly preserved painted human resembling the large impressive “fat” Niola Fig. 12 - An isolated rounded shape with appendices in the shape of a “V” and a third white straight appendix in-between, is depicted at the extreme right of the Archeï VII main panel (DStretch, YRD colour space). 12 Doa figures, apparently wearing body decorations only, is not a significant base https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera The Niola Doa Like Motifs In The Gran Riparo d’“rcheï Ennedi, Chad (1) (2) (3) (4) Fig. 13 - A rounded shape (1) and a tripartite white shape (2) plus few white strokes (3), possibly the relics of a disappeared human figure, are present on the Archeï VII bottom wall (3D model available on Sketchfab). Two figures wearing skirts are shown to the lower left (YRD colour space). The skirt of the lower figure to the right preserves traces of a geometric pattern painted in white (4). https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera 13 Alessandro Menardi Noguera Fig. 14 - A human figure featured by an overall pearshaped body and a long white appendix hanging from the head, possibly straight hairs, is found in the middle of the Archeï VII main panel (YRD colour space; location 1080-275). This figure is similar to the humans observed in the Sivré I site, attributed by Bailloud (1997) to the Hohou style. Other similar appendices, likely belonging to disappeared or unfinished figures, are superimposed on a large bovid engraved by a polished outline. to discuss the vexed question of gender identification posed by the dual way humans are represented among Niola Doa petroglyphs. Anyway, it must be remembered that gendering by clothing is the most common and socially accepted way to express gender identity, more effective than exhibiting or depicting primary sex attributes. Genitals could have been omitted for a sense of shame or because the Niola Doa figures were de-sexualised for a sense of awe if these figures were considered sacred images. Explicit depiction of genitals is very rare in the whole tradition of the Ennedi rock art. In the Pitt River Museum ethnographic collections documenting the traditional way of life of Sudanic peoples in the early XX century, it is possible to find pictures showing married couples composed of a woman in a skirt and a man wearing body decorations only (e.g. Pitt Rivers Museum Accession Number: 1998.97.375). If these pictures had to be translated into an artistic expression, women would be recognizable for their skirts while men would be identifiable for being taller and by their nakedness, which do not require the depiction of anatomic details to be artistically represented. Overall, the features of the Archeï VII painted figure matching the distinctive features of the Niola Doa “fat” humans are more significant than the features missing correspondences. Nevertheless, the few observed oddities, like the dotted decoration of the lower body, raise the question if the Archeï VII painted figure could be a palimpsest, produced starting from an an14 https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera The Niola Doa Like Motifs In The Gran Riparo d’“rcheï Ennedi, Chad (1) (2) Fig. 15 - Figures wearing a skirt in the middle of the first section of the Archeï VII main panel (1 and 2). Their most distinctive feature is the asymmetric gesture recalling the recursive gesture of the Niola Doa figures wearing skirts (CRGB colour space + stacked white from the YRD colour space ) cient faded painting, retouched to be “Niola Doa-like” and fitted in a “Niola Doa context” by the association with a figure wearing a skirt. Such hypothesis is very unlikely because the gesture of the Archeï VII figure is exactly the same characteristic gesture recursive among Niola Doa “fat” figures. Anyway, the lower half body of a very faint figure featured by a large waist, internally decorated with a vertical dashed pattern, survives in the second section of the Archeï VII main panel (Fig. 9). Unfortunately, relics of white cattle figures obliterate its upper body. Thus, it is impossible to establish if this figure, which escaped the previous surveys, is posed like the Niola Doa “fat” humans or if it is a fragmentary figure attributable to the Archaic period, similar to the humans in the Elikeo style, which bodies are decorated with pattern of lines (Bailloud 1997, Fig. 44). This fragmentary figure is not associated with any figure wearing a skirt that could suggest a straightforward relationship with a typical Niola Doa context. However, it is https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera 15 Alessandro Menardi Noguera Fig. 16 - Cattle figure featured by a geometric pattern of concentric and radiating lines. The outline of the animal, pretty squared in appearance, with its straight back, straight legs, no recognizable brisket, is very contrasting with the buxom silhouettes of the other cows depicted in the Archeï VII main panel, typical of the Tamada style (e.g. the cow in the lower half of Fig. 12) very near to a round shape with appendices, similar to the hairstyles of the Niola Doa figures wearing body decorations only. More evidence of “Niola Doa-like” paintings in Archeï VII As already remarked (Faleschini et al. 1994), the two figures shown at the extreme left of the Archeï VII main panel are not the unique painted motifs recalling the Niola Doa petroglyphs present in the shelter. Proceeding from left to right, some more paintings that might be related to the Niola Doa art can be distinguished: - A cattle figure drawn in the same hue of the nearly disappeared “fat” human, visible in enhanced images only, is present to the lower right of the “Niola Doa-like” couple of Archeï VII, (Fig. 7). A warrior equipped with a rounded shield and a spear superimposes this previously unreported figure. It is similar to the cattle figure indisputably associated with the humans in the “Panneau de Fuchs” (Fig. 19) or at Dur Duro in the Erdi Plateau (Simonis et al. 1994, Fig. 14), attributed to the same artistic tradition of the Niola Doa Site 1. - A figure wearing a skirt, shown in the same characteristic “Niola Doa” pose of the figure in a skirt, is present in the upper right corner of the first section of the panel (Fig. 5, 6 and 9). Digitally enhanced images evidence a dotted body decoration and thin white lines, possibly representing necklaces, bracelets, and anklets. Strikingly enough, spread feet fingers are individually shown as it can be observed in many Niola Doa depictions (Simonis et al. 1994, Fig. 16 https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera The Niola Doa Like Motifs In The Gran Riparo d’“rcheï Ennedi, Chad Fig. 17 - A faded cattle figure, predominantly white, is present on the extreme right of the main panel, towards the bottom wall of the Archeï VII shelter. Fig. 18 - The image enhanced by DStretch (CRGB colour space) shows the faded cattle figure is featured by an intricate geometric decoration on the neck and back. To its right, image enhancement also shows the existence of another cattle figure featured by a geometric coat decoration. 4, 6 and 8). This figure is facing a portion of the panel devoid of any easily recognizable motif, but a horizontal red trait, few small red dots and a small patch of white paint, representing scanty evidence of some vanished paintings. The horizontal trait and white patch are at the expected location for the stick and wrist decoration of a “Niola Doa-like” figure, if a larger human “fat” figure once existed in association to the well-visible figure wearing a skirt. Some long engraved traits comprehending the possible feet of a human figure are present to the lower right of the first section of the main panel but do not seem related to the painted figure wearing a skirt. https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera 17 Alessandro Menardi Noguera Fig. 19 - Niola Doa “Panneau de Fuchs” (Photo by David Coulson, 1996), reproduced under the Creative Common Licence from the Thrust for African Rock Art collection published online by the British Museum (Museum number: 2013,2034.6254). - In the middle of the first section of the main panel (Fig. 5 and 6; locations [100,369] and [120,369]), two figures wearing skirts are present (Fig. 15). Their most distinctive feature is the asymmetric gesture of the arms recalling the recursive gesture of the Niola Doa figures wearing skirts as known in the Niola Doa Site 1. Unfortunately, these small figures have been made fragmentary by gaps in the painted surface. - A fourth figure, similarly gesturing, is shown in the lower right of the first section of the main panel (Fig. 5 and 6; location [163,333]). However, the three-quarter perspective is not typical of the Niola Doa figures wearing skirts. - Two isolated rounded shapes with internal geometric decorations are present in the middle of the main panel on the west side of Archeï VII (Fig. 9 and 11; locations [521,339] and [549,347]). Red appendices in the shape of a “V” with a white curled appendix in-between top the better preserved one to the right (Fig. 11). No trace of possible faded human bodies is visible. Thus, caution is required in considering them as relics of once complete human figures. It is also possible that they are parts of uncompleted figures or that the hairstyles of “Niola Doalike” figure were developed into symbolic motifs, where the part stands for the whole. - At the extreme right of the Archeï VII main panel (Fig. 12; Fig. 5 and 6, location 18 https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera The Niola Doa Like Motifs In The Gran Riparo d’“rcheï Ennedi, Chad [1930,143]), a third globular shape painted in red, with two red appendices in the shape of a “V” and a straight white appendix in-between, is shown. It is completely isolated above a cattle figure matching the buxom shape of the cattle figures characteristic of the Tamada style, as described by Bailloud (1997). - On the bottom wall of the shelter, an apparently isolated rounded shape stands out (Fig. 13). This shape was related to the “Round Head” of the Central Sahara for its internal decoration (Faleschini et al. 1995). This painting closely matches the head (or hairstyle) of one the most renowned Niola Doa depiction, i.e. the third figure holding a stick shown in Site 2 (Fig. 3 in Simonis et al. 1998). A white tripartite mark is also well apparent to the left; it could represent the pendants hanging from the wrist of some Niola Doa figures. Faint remnants of white paint that could represent the shoulder and arm profiles of a vanished figure are visible in enhanced images (Fig. 13). - On the lower left of the previously described rounded shape, two solid-red figures wearing skirts are shown (Fig. 13). Traces of a dashed white decoration survive on the skirt of the first figure to the left. They are very similar in body proportions and pose to the first figure in a skirt at the western extreme of the main panel (Fig. 7). - Four meters east of the previously mentioned figures, two additional isolated figures wearing skirts are shown aside an indecipherable red blob on the shelter bottom wall, (Fig. 4). Body proportions and pose recall the figures wearing skirts known in the Niola Doa iconography, but the first figure to the left is apparently holding atop the head an egg-shaped object while the following taller figure to the right seems to hold a rounded object with the arm bent up. Unfortunately, due to the poor state of preservation, it is not possible to establish if these objects are part of the scene or represent later additions. Remnants of paintings drawn by outlines, largely destroyed by exfoliation, perhaps relics of the archaic period, are visible to the upper left of the two figures in a skirt. - At the middle right of the main panel (location [1420,270]) and towards the bottom wall, two peculiar cattle figures with internal geometric decorations are present (Fig. 16, 17 and 18). These cattle figures, by their squared outline and the geometric patterns of the coat decorations, resemble the third cattle figure in a herding scene depicted on the “Panneau de Fuchs” (Fig. 19), where the attending shepherd is sporting body decorations typical of the https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera 19 Alessandro Menardi Noguera Fig. 20 - Kéléo I site. One of the five rounded shapes found on the upper edge of Panel of the Ostriches (Menardi Noguera 2017, Sketchfab 3D model), likely fragmentary remains of human figures which bodies disappeared due to the selective decay of pigments. Fig. 21 - Niola Doa “lost site” (Photo: David Coulson, 1996), reproduced under the Creative Common Licence from the Thrust for African Rock Art collection published online by the British Museum (Museum number: 2013,2034.6165). The internal geometric decoration of the head is similar to the geometric decoration of the painted rounded shape from the Kéléo I site. Niola Doa “fat” humans. The horns and muzzles of the two painted cattle figures are similar in shape to the horns and muzzle of the leading animal in the herds of the “Panneau de Fuchs” (Fig. 19). Relative age of the “Niola Doa-like” paintings Direct superimpositions of paintings attributable to the recent “bovine” or ancient camel periods over the “Niola Doa-like” paintings of Archeï VII are recognized. The horns of a fragmentary white cattle figure superimpose one of the rounded shapes with appendices (Fig. 9), a warrior equipped with shield and spear superimposes the faint cattle figure associated with the couple in Fig. 7. In the mid-section of the main panel (Fig. 3, location [1080,273]), a well-preserved human figure with an overall pear-shaped body stands out. A prominent belly, thick thighs and buttocks, stumpy arms, narrow shoulders, a small head and a long hairstyle, characterise this figure (Fig. 14). It closely matches the body proportions of the figures attributed by Bailloud (1997) to the Hohou style, referred to the middle “bovine” period. 20 https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera The Niola Doa Like Motifs In The Gran Riparo d’“rcheï Ennedi, Chad In the lack of direct superimposition relations between the figures in the Hohou style and the “Niola Doa-like” figures, it is not possible to establish which are older without further evidence from other, yet unknown, rock art sites. In Archeï VII, the primary resemblance between the human figures in the Hohou style and the figures recalling the Niola Doa pecked humans was promptly outlined by Simonis et al. (1994) although no explicit reference was made to the Hohou style in comparing the variety of “steatopygian” humans surveyed in the site. Such depictions of the human body implying an aesthetic appreciation for adiposity suggest a possible cultural relationship with the artists that produced the paintings recalling the Niola Doa figures. However, their hairstyles look radically different. Actually, the hairstyles of the “Niola Doa-like” figures look similar to the rounded hairstyles characterizing the humans depicted in the Tamada style, attributed to the recent “bovine” period. Therefore, there is a chance that the Niola Doa-like” paintings of Archeï VII could be younger than the paintings in the Hohou style. Other sites with “Niola Doa-like” paintings Beyond Archeï VII, possible occurrences of “Niola Doa-like” paintings are known in few other sites only: - In the Terkey-Bowdé III shelter, a fragmentary painting astonishingly matching the decorated head and neck of the first engraved figure shown in the Niola Doa Site 1 is documented (Civrac 2013, Fig. 7 and 8). - Five internally decorated rounded shapes with appendices, closely resembling the head or hairstyles of the Niola Doa pecked humans are present in the Kéléo I painted shelter, aligned along the upper edge of Panel of the Ostriches (Menardi Noguera 2017, Sketchfab model; Hégy 2017, Panel C). Tripartite lobed shapes painted in white, well evident to the lower left of the first three rounded shapes in the enhanced texture of the 3D model, recall the wrist pendants worn by some of the Niola Doa humans (Fig. 20 and 21). These details, establishing a firm relationship with the Archeï VII paintings of Fig. 13, indicate that the rounded shapes likely pertain to humans, which bodies completely disappeared. If bodies were ever painted, clearly it was not by the same white paint used for the fine details characterising the rounded shapes. No figure wearing skirt analogous to the Niola Doa figures wearing skirts is present in https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera 21 Alessandro Menardi Noguera the Kéléo I site. Thus, a critical element to establish a direct correlation with the scenes depicted in Niola Doa Site 1 and Site 2 is completely missing. - In the Eli 1 painted shelter, discovered in February 2017 during a hike to the Nouré Plateau, a faded fat figure holding a stick in the unmistakable “Niola Doa” pose, flanked by two smaller figures, has been documented in the background of schematic, linear paintings attributable to the late camel period. - Some additional “Niola Doa-like” paintings could be present in the Soboro 8A and Soboro 14 sites (Choppy et al., 2003, p. 129 and p. 153 ). In Soboro 8A, two fattish figures are shown in the pose of the Niola Doa humans, with one arm down stretched and on arm bent-up, with the hand raised at the shoulder level, likely to hold a not preserved stick. In Soboro 14, two women in a skirt shown in the typical pose of the Niola Doa figures wearing skirts are documented. Acknowledgements Gábor Merkl with much kindness provided a beautiful picture of the Niola Doa Site 1 and contributed to the compilation of the 3D model of the Gran Riparo d'Archeï shown in Fig. 2 by making available his set of pictures. References Bailloud Gérard 1997. Art rupestre en Ennedi. Saint-Maur-des-Fossés: Ed. Sépia, 154 p. Bonnet André 1956. Le massif montagneux de l'Ennedi (territoire du Tchad) et les danseuses préhistoriques de Niola Doa. Civrac Marie-Anne 2013. Quelques peintures du site de Terkey-Bowdé III, Ennedi, Tchad. Les cahiers de l’AARS, 16 : 57-88. Choppy Jacques, Choppy Brigitte, Sergio Scarpa Falce, Adriana Scarpa Falce 1996. Images rupestres de l'Ennedi, Tchad: Zone nord - Niola Doa. 1° partie. Fleurier: Ed. J.Choppy, 197 p. Choppy Jacques, Choppy Brigitte, Sergio Scarpa Falce, Adriana Scarpa Falce 2002. Images rupestres de l'Ennedi, Tchad: Archeï. 2° partie. Fleurier: Ed. J. Choppy, 205 p. Faleschini Guido, Negro Giancarlo & Simonis Roberta 1995. Dall’Erdi all’Ennedi (Ciad). Ac22 https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera The Niola Doa Like Motifs In The Gran Riparo d’“rcheï Ennedi, Chad tes de l'assemblée annuelle de l'A.A.R.S., Arles 1994, 2 : 9-12. Faleschini Guido, Negro Giancarlo & Simonis Roberta 1996. Niola Dola. In Negro G., Ravenna A., and Simonis R. (eds.), Arte rupestre nel Ciad. Borku - Ennedi - Tibesti, Segrate: Pyramids, 90-93. Harman Jon 2017. DStretch (plugin to ImageJ), http://www.dstretch.com/ Hégy Pascale (2017). Le site à peintures rupestres de Kéléo I (Ennedi, Tchad). Les Cahiers de l’AARS, 2017, 19, in press. Menardi Noguera Alessandro 2017. Kéléo I, the Panel of the Ostriches. 3D model on Sketchfab, https://sketchfab.com/models/499b6f9a281e47da9f75aa95576a1874 Negro Giancarlo & Faleschini Guido 1996. Archei VII. In Negro G., Ravenna A., and Simonis R. (eds.), Arte rupestre nel Ciad. Borku - Ennedi - Tibesti, Segrate: Pyramids, 80-83. Simonis Roberta, Faleschini Guido, Negro Giancarlo 1994. Niola Doa, il luogo delle fanciulle (Ennedi, Ciad). Sahara, 6: 51-62. Simonis Roberta, Alec Campbell & David Coulson 1998. A Niola Doa “lost site” revisited (Ennedi, Ciad). Sahara, 10: 126-129. https://independent.academia.edu/AlessandroMenardiNoguera 23