2007- August - 6
Le Quellec Jean-Loïc 2004. Arts Rupestres et mythologie en Afrique - ed. Flammarion.
The theme of this book is difficult an complex but extremely fascinating. Is it possible to understand the meaning of the African ancient or recent rock art without the real knowledge of the culture, of the way of thinking of the peoples that produced it? Nearly impossible indeed but the challenge is worth to be discussed under the light of the modern ethnography, exploiting the available knowledge of African mythology. To understand without preconceptions and unjustified assumption the many African regional expressions known under the umbrella term "rock art" is a titanic challenge. Le Quellec is the perfect teacher to remember both the scientist and the amateur how it is easy to be caught in the always tempting traps of common places.
A Precious Book
2007- June - 15
Ardito Desio 1931. Il Sahara Italiano. Il Tibesti nord orientale - Reprinted by Casa Editrice Università La Sapienza di Roma, 2006.
Undoubtedly this book is a hard to find book in its original edition. Considering the Ardito Desio's books this one is the most interesting for the Saharan traveller: decades of wars, guerrilla and political instability have precluded and continue to precludes the Tibesti region to the ordinary travellers and tourists. The interest for this re-printed version is therefore easy to appreciate. We are very happy that this important work is now available and to a very cheap price that perhaps does not cover the printing costs.
However this edition, cured by the University La Sapienza di Roma, has one defect: the splendid pictures that in the original edition were regrouped in tables out of the text have been inserted within the text. In my opinion this choice was not correct even if it could facilitate the reader. It is a long time that the international editors have learned that the reprinted editions of books of great historical-scientific significance must be reproduced maintaining the original pagination.
For the specialist of Sahara exploration history
2007- June - 7
Richard A. Bermann, 1938. Zarzura, Die Oase der kleinen Vögel - Reprinted by Belleville Ed. (September 2002)
Zarzura, the oasis of the little birds.
Like Count Almasy, Bermann followed the most accurate romanization for the place name of the lost oasis that every desert explorer hoped to discover. He wrote Zarzura, not Zerzura as the majority of the English writers did. Actually Zerzura is the form of the name prevailing in the English scientific literature but it is important to remind that the vowel "e" does not exist in classic Arabic.
This travel book, very popular among the German passionate Saharan travellers, is the report of the 1933 expedition to the Gilf Kebir and Uweinat organized by the famed Hungarian explorer Almasy. During this expedition, Almasy and companions visited Wadi Ab el Malik, the most important internal valley of the Gilf Kebir. This wadi was identified by the Hungarian explorer as the place at the origin of the Zerzura legend. During this expedition, Almasy visited also Cufra, in the hands of the Italians military since 1931, and the Jebel Uweinat. He met on the spot many interesting Italian personages; among them Capitano Oreste Marchesi, leading a topographic survey party, and the zoologist Count Lodovico di Caporiacco, a professor from the Florence University. Unfortunately this book has never been translated and it is really a pity because Bermann was a really good writer, well known by the English reader for his splendid reconstruction of the 1982-1898 mahadist revolt in Sudan, a book entitled " The Mahdi of Allah".
While camping at Ain Doua, Sabr, the sudanese driver hired by Almasy, and Almasy himself discovered a shelter rich of prehistoric paintings. Almasy and Sabr were immediately joined in the search for more paintings by Lodovico di Caporiacco and by the ascari, the Eritrean colonial soldiers assisting the IGM topographic mission lead by Captain da Oreste Marchesi. At the end of the day others nice painted shelters were discovered. The discovery was immediately announced to the world by wireless; it made a big sensation among the widest public. Soon later an unfortunate polemic between Almasy and Di Caporiacco about the primacy of the discovery arise. Caporiacco claimed all the merit for himself, while he had an important role in the discovery but a secondary one. By reading Bermann it seems that a claim of a joint discovery would had been more fair.
The reprinted edition of the book also comprehends the splendid pictures by the photographer Hans Casparius, member of the Almasy expedition. It is therefore a really good re-edition. I purchased this book in 2003 and now, thanks to a very efficient OCR software, I scanned the book and automatically translated it. The translation I got was horrible. Nevertheless I can understand and appreciate the report. Here following a short sample, related to the Ain Doua discovery, as it was lived by Richard Bermann:
"What happened? For days Almásy the thought to this" Devils "does not refresh loosely, which are to have painted" all animals of the world "at the rock of Uwenat; which one found here so far at rock pictures, is meagrely, hardly worth mentioning. Almásy feels that, heat or not heat someone should in-look into all these caves of Uwenat. It carried Sabr forward, in order to have a companion when climbing, and to the black one as reason said, it wants to find a beautiful, cool cave, in which Penderel, if he returns, will sleep.
The two climb from Cave to Cave and look into everyone inside. Finally Almásy sets stertorously on a stone and wipes themselves the sweat. Damned heat! Sabr in-rose again into so a cave, comes out, grins friendly and says something of a red cow. Almásy, busily with its cigar, hears it and does not pay attention not to it.
" Going we down, Sabr! It is too hot! "
And suddenly, as met from lightning: " What there do you say of a red cow? "
" A red cow at the cave wall, says Sabr very courageously. " The Askari painted a red cow to the wall of the cave. "
" O father of the misunderstood ", says Almásy mechanically. " What for a red cow? And at one time: " Fast, where? "
He jumps up, climbs breathlessly between rock to the close entrance the cave up, which means Sabr. It has suddenly understood that that is found, what it for days so persistent generous searches.
Pictures of all things of this world painted age-old spirit to the walls of these caves.
Which I see, when I step into this granite cave, that is not a red cow, but forty cows of each kind painted in each position, - I do not only see anything as cows, then only notice I that also different animal figures are painted to the cover of the cave - That's right in colours, not in-scratched; that is fresh and shines like the Frescos of the Vatican --
Me tells lies. Still I understand few; but dock already that we found here an important place to prehistoric art, one of the picture caves of the Steinzeit, which are so important for the early history of humans. A Libyan counterpart to the Spanish caves of Valltorta, of Altamira --
" Flerrgott ", stammle I," gentleman Mr., Almásy! "
Our loud shouting alarmed the camp; five minutes later also the Professor Caporiacco climbed to the cave and makes large eyes, since it sees giving; soon thereafter everything that has legs, climbs at the rock slope around. For months so many humans lived in the stone circle of the source of Doua: Major Bagnold was here and over the fallen blocks up to the summit climbed; the English fliers have in the lower caves used; sixty Askari roam themselves day and night here, and of the fairy taleful beautiful prehistoric pictures in the cave nobody had a notion. - The cave? In the first two hours after the discovery first find we painted Cave further twelve always rough, than the previous.
A completely volatile overview shows us that more than eight hundred individual pictures are present. Most represent cattle, some Antelopes. An animal from the horse kind touched there, like a Zebra, but otherwise the African game donkey similarly, - and humans are shown, beautiful, naked humans of a barbaric beauty of the attitude!
Only as it is dark, leaves we the caves. During dinner everyone is joyfully excited. In radio tent the Sergeant sits and transmits the first message of the important discovery to the world. Professor Caporiacco, which sends the message to his university, confirms in a knightly first impulse that the find is successful Almásy and not the Italian mission. Still we can grasp the full meaning of the discovery not completely after so few hours. But already today, in this first, gladdened evening, know we, which companion Almásys that we did not course-break this week in vain in the glowing stone circle of Uwenat, but that our expedition a success falls into the lap, which all troubles plentifully recompences."
Reccomended to all the Zerzura fans.
2007- May - 30
Byron Khun de Prorok, 1931. In Quest of Lost Worlds - Reprinted by The Narrative Press Ed., 2001.
Thanks to The Narrative Press Ed. it is possible to read all the fascinating books written by Count Byron Khun de Prorok. This book summarize the many adventures and archaeological explorations Prorok had during the years 1925-1934.
If an incarnation of the Lost Races & Lost World, heroes ever existed this one was certainly Prorok.
The reader is confronted with a character very similar to the fictions ones in the like of Quatermann or Indiana Jones.
Actually he was conscious of this similitude as it is proven by the title of this book. He was not immune from the reading of the romance Atlantide by Benoit. As a true tomb raider
he was more interested to the opening of tombs and treasure hunting rather than to the accumulation of scientific results and new knowledge through
the patient and time consuming method of orthodox archaeology. He explored the Sahara in Algeria, Libya and Egypt always eager of sensational findings. His Libyan expedition took place during the last phase of the Italian-Senussi war, in 1931, during the military campaign that ended with the occupation of Kufra. Really amazing.
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