Site Survey report
Name of site: Dargle 1
Site type: Sandstone Rockshelter with rock art
Date surveyed: 18, 19, 22 May 2017
Surveyor: Johan du Preez, Institute of Archaeology, London. Assisted by Dawn Green, Alan Isted, David Smyly
Area: Wartrail area, north Eastern Cape
Map: RSA 3027 DB
GPS: 30.7° S
27.8 ° E
Altitude: 2,021 m
Aspect: Due East
Shelter size (m): Length 12.5; Height 4.7; Depth 6
Environmental damage: Flaking, salts, fading (Paintings are in direct sunlight in the morning), dust
Human damage: Not evident
Surface features: Even surface with some rocks
Rock art: San, brush painted
The painted area (panel) is 3m wide. It stretches from a recess, 0.5 m above the surface, up to 2.1 m above the floor surface. There is a prominent crack running down the centre of the panel.
The panel contains classic shamanistic representations of people in a trance including a row of dancers. Also shown are people running and huntsmen aiming at prey. In another tableau, a man is pointing, in different directions, at two eland walking away from him. This man is being watched by three prone rhebuck. Below this, an eland and a man emerge upside down from the rock face, while two eland have their heads stuck into the same rock-face, almost as if watching this emergence from the other side of the rock. There is a prominent painting, high up and in the centre, of two elongated, white, human-like figures, face to face, interacting (possibly fighting) with each other. There are other enigmatic figures including an extended C-shaped face human-like figure with severe reverse knee articulations and/or additional leg joints. The panel contains at least 32 human or human like-figures and 23 antelope or antelope-like figures. At least 4 to 6 of these antelopes are rhebuck, the remainder most likely eland. There are another 10, indeterminate paint marks on the panel.
