Val Camonica is a spectacular valley, located in eastern Lombardy, and one of the largest valleys of the central Alps. This beautiful Italian area is renowned for many things; ancient military history, nobility and industry, and even how fertile its land is! However industry and rich soil isn’t the entirety of the hidden treasure in Val Camonica’s chest; it has another jewel in its crown.
Val Camonica stretches for almost 90 kilometres, and scattered over hundreds of locations on both sides of this expansive valley are the world’s greatest collections of prehistoric rock drawings. This UNESCO World Heritage Site gives us artistic insight into the culture, pastimes, and interests of the ancient world.
Val Camonica valley, Lombardy, Italy by Bernat Erasmus
The Great Gallery
The Valley lays claim to the most extensive collection of prehistoric petroglyphs on Earth; a rather impressive trophy for a rural region in the Alpine mountains of Italy!
It would seem that the inhabitants of this particular region, for reasons unknown, were intent on documentation and expression through the rock-based art-form. It is recorded that over 140,000 symbols and figures are carved into the Valley’s rocks. This staggering number is thought to have been achieved over a period of 8,000 years, and although UNESCO has formally recognised the previous number of incisions, it is thought that new discoveries raise the total somewhere between 250,000 and 300,000
Subjects of Superstition
The artistic works depict many different themes and subjects, providing an invaluable insight into the thoughts and minds of our creative ancestors.
The subjects of the rock drawings are diverse, and themes give us a glimpse into early agriculture, maps and constellations, as well as mysticism, war and magic! These early drawings are an unprecedented documentation of beliefs, traditions and triumphs.
In some cases, the figures and drawings seem to have been placed with no obvious order or logic, while others have a definite connection.
Visitors can see the showcase of impressive scenes of vibrant dances, historical hunts, ferocious fights, and mystical masterpieces that depict religious rites and ceremonies. These drawings seem to commemorate the culture of times past, however some of them are rather bizarre. The stranger drawings in this vast collection, through archaeologists’ analysis, have been described as less of documentation, and more an expression of ideas and early human thoughts.
Rock drawings, Val Camonica valley, Lombardy, Italy by Bernat Erasmus
A Piece of History
The history of the petroglyphs spans an extra-ordinate amount of time, and many different periods are documented. Making such a discovery would be any historian or archaeologist’s dream!
The first incisions give us a snapshot of a time long before even the Iron Age. While they give us extraordinary pictures of prehistoric customs, the drawings continue throughout history, and even into the modern day! It is thought the custom of rock drawing in this region carried over from generation to generation, even through the Roman and Medieval periods. Interestingly, most of the drawings have been created using similar techniques, even though the tools must have changed somewhat over the timeline.
One amazing scene shows one of the valley’s tribes initiating new females, at a time when they began to meet new people. Their isolation seems to end around 1000 BC, and it was at this time that their art was at its peak. Many battle scenes were carved during this period, and although the tribe was introduced to other members of society – their introductions appear to be rarely friendly!
Conclusion
If any one location has earned its place as a site worthy of world heritage, it is this one.
There is an unparalleled span of ancient and intricate artwork found throughout the rock drawings in Val Camonica. Thousands of people from the world over have already enjoyed this once in a lifetime experience, and have witnessed the site for themselves. Why not count yourself as one of them, and visit the amazing site today?
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