Drawings of mount Brandberg

In South Africa, amid the gloomy and wild desert, which once had the rather expressive name of the Skeleton Coast, and is now called the Namib, the big red Brandberg mountain (translated from German as "flaming mountain") rises. Unfriendly, almost devoid of vegetation, it conceals a rather interesting riddle, which scientists have been struggling to solve for many years. These are the famous drawings of mount Brandberg!

Unfriendly, almost devoid of vegetation, it conceals a rather interesting riddle, which scientists have been struggling to solve for many years. These are the famous drawings of mount Brandberg

By its height (2600 m) Brandberg is the highest mountain in Namibia. Its discoverer and explorer was the German officer Jochmann, who penetrated here in 1917. He determined the height of the mountain, and was also the first to climb its top and found that the mountain reaches 30 km in length and 23 km in width. This mountain range consists of granite and sandstone. Brandberg is not a volcano. The mountain got its name because in the rays of the setting sun, red granite seems to be on fire, and all of it from afar seems to be a continuous fiery tongue. But this, of course, does not cause unremitting interest in Brandberg, but the extraordinary paintings on the walls of the cave, which was accidentally discovered on its slopes by the German traveler Reinhard Maas.

On a large wall there is a picture of a procession of black men, at the head of which is a white-skinned woman, unlike everyone else, dressed in a dress and shod in sandals. She wears rich ornaments, in one hand a flower or a vase, in the other - a bow and arrow. The background of the picture is a large number of animals and unusual figures.

Studying this work of art, scientists have noticed similarities between the depiction of a woman and the drawings of the ancient Mediterranean. Especially those that are in the Palace of Knossos on the island of Crete. The White Lady of the "Burning Mountain" with a bow and arrow is also very reminiscent of the ancient Greek Athena Pallas. The woman's red hair, gathered in an exquisite hairstyle, is adorned with a rich tiara of pearls. As for the flower, scientists have discovered its image in the local Bushman painting for the first time.

It is believed that the painting was painted approximately 3500 years ago, and maybe more. Judging by the painting, we can conclude that in those distant times, these dead mountains and the area around them, obviously, were densely populated. Several crocodiles in the cave drawings suggest that the now dried up local rivers were once full-flowing, and the land gave great yields.

But what kind of people lived in this area? Where and when did they come, how long did they live, when and where did they disappear? And finally, who is this woman? Is she a Bushwoman or a Hottentot? So far, no one can answer these questions.

It should be said that the conditions for scientific research in this area are probably more difficult than anywhere else in the world. No person can get here without a special pass. Indeed, in this area of Namibia there is one of the world's largest diamond deposits, carefully guarded.

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