Rocks of Ages: Developing Rock Art Tourism in Israel

Description

'Rocks of Ages: Developing Rock Art Tourism in Israel' presents the findings of an interdisciplinary project aimed at safeguarding the future of this unique resource. Cultural heritage in the Negev desert region of Israel is potentially under threat from a number of social, political and economic activities such as militarization, settlement and tourism, resulting in significant environmental change. The cultural heritage and archaeology extend back at least a quarter of a million years but also include a unique engraved rock art assemblage that dates to at least 3000 BCE. These engravings form a clear association with other relic monuments including prehistoric and protohistoric settlements, agricultural and irrigation regimes, and the remnants of a nomadic way of life. But how can this unique cultural heritage survive in the long-term? In December 2017, an international conference was held at Mitzpe Ramon attended by academics, heritage professionals and individuals from the tourism industry. The meeting centered on the dissemination of the findings from the Integrative Multilateral Planning to Advance Rock Art Tourism (IMPART) research project. Formed from an interdisciplinary team of Israeli-Italian scholars, the IMPART researchers collaborated to conduct archaeo-ecological and socio-touristic research with the goal of establishing an authoritative set of sustainable best practices for effectively valorizing Negev rock art. Based on the successful outcome of this research dynamic, the book is organized into 12 thought-provoking chapters that identify and analyze the cultural heritage, archaeology and tourism geographies that fill the multilayered Negev landscape. The focus throughout is to find ways to preserve this unique heritage for future generations while striking a balance between these fragile resources and the pressures for development of the desert. Cover Title Page Copyright Page Contents Page List of Figures List of Tables Abbreviations Foreword Preface Part I The Dynamics of Negev Rock Art Tourism Rock Art in the Negev Rock art, archaeology and culture Figure 1.1 Layered Negev rock art motifs contain both alluring and powerful messages Rock art and tourism Figure 1.2 Map of Negev rock art sites Figure 1.3. Map of rock art sites in the Negev Highlands Rock art tourism in the Negev Highlands Figure 1.4 Rock art tourists will often go to great lengths for a good photo Figure 1.5. Italian and Israeli IMPART researchers conducting fieldwork at Ramat Matred The IMPART Project Negev Highlands Tourism Geographies of Negev tourism Figure 2.1 The Negev - subdivided Figure 2.2 The Sde Boker Area Channeling Negev tourism flow Figure 2.3 Mashabim-Ramon Area Figure 2.4 Negev Highlands Region (not included in the above areas): includes Nitzana, Yeruham, Revivim area and more Quantitative Analysis of Negev Tourism Data Introduction Length of stay Table 3.1 Length of stay for domestic and international tourists (percentage) Trip motivation Figure 3.1. Age class of tourists (percentage) Trip organization and means of transport How visitors heard about Mitzpe Ramon Figure 3.2 Main reason of the trip for domestic and international tourists (percentage) Figure 3.3 Means of transport used by domestic and international tourists (percentage) Evaluation of travel experience of visitors Preferred tourist attractions Figure 3.4 Mode of acquaintance with Mitzpe Ramon, by channel (percentage) Figure 3.5 Percentage of tourists that were satisfied or very satisfied, by topic Cultural tourism Figure 3.6 Percentage of tourists that wish to visit the existing attractions in the region Figure 3.7 Domestic tourists’ interest in the three cultural attractions, by age Figure 3.9 Domestic tourists’ interest in the three cultural attractions, by profession Figure 3.8 International tourists’ interest in the three cultural attractions, by age Figure 3.10 International tourists’ interest in the three cultural attractions, by profession. Figure 3.11. Culture-oriented tourists, main reason of travel (percentage). Figure 3.13 Mode of acquaintance with Mitzpe Ramon, culture tourism segment, by channel (percentage) Figure 3.12 Means of transport used by culture-oriented tourists to get to Mitzpe Ramon (percentage) Figure 3.14 Culture-oriented tourists, mode of travel (percentage) Figure 3.15 Total sample vs cultural tourism segment, level of satisfaction, by topic (percentage) Individual tourists Figure 3.16 Mode of acquaintance with Mitzpe Ramon, individual tourists, by channel (percentage) Figure 3.17 Means of transport used by individual tourists Figure 3.18 Number of tourists that would like to visit the listed attractions (percentage) Total sample Cultural tourism Figure 3.19 Tourists who are very satisfied or satisfied with each topic (percentage) Individual tourists Tourism in Israel and Mitzpe Ramon, a comparison Qualitative Analysis of Negev Tourism Data Methodologies for gathering qualitative data Table 4.1: List of questions used as a guideline for the interviews. Divided by Supply and Demand and general topics covered. SWOT analysis of qualitative fieldwork Figure 4.1. Analysis of the frequency of answers on different topics, divided into a SWOT table (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) Strengths Weaknesses Figure 4.2 Graffiti on rocks in the riverbed below Ramat Matred; as ascertained from its content, apparently made by soldiers Opportunities Threats Establishing a Benchmark for Open-Air Rock Site Management Benchmarking rock art Table 5.1 Sites identified as applying best practices The Archaeological site model Figure 5.1. Western view of the Valcamonica Valley Figure 5.2. Iron Age cart from Rock No. 73, Naquane Figure 5.3. Trekking to the Penacosa site in the Côa Valley, Portugal. Organized by the Côa Museum and supporting local tourism initiatives Figure 5.5. Roughly pecked horse from the Siega Verde Park, Spain (Panel 74) Figure 5.4. One of many hundreds of rock art sites within the Côa Valley, Portugal Figure 5.6. One of many animal engravings from the Siega Verde Park (Panel 21) Accessibility Figure 5.7. View of the outer triathlon ring of Stonehenge Figure 5.9. One of the fiberglass replicas panels from the Côa Valley Museum, Portugal Figure 5.8. Faint images of Bronze Age daggers and post-medieval graffiti on Stone 53 Hospitality Information The Nature Park model The site Accessibility Hospitality Information Community engagement Other models considered Notes from an Ethnographic Field Survey of the Negev Highland Bedouin Ethnographic fieldwork Figure 6.1. IMPART personnel on a visit with Negev Highland Bedouin tourism operators, February 2016 Figure 6.2 Unrecognized Bedouin encampment below a Negev rock art site Figure 6.3 Bedouin shepherdesses watch over their flock grazing by the roadside of Route 40 in the Negev Figure 6.4 Three generations of Negev Bedouin females gather wheat during a harvest, nearby Abda settlement, June 2016 Figure 6.5 Despite their increasing adjustment to a modern lifestyle, traditional modes of Bedouin culture persist across the generations Figure 6.6 Bedouin from the Negev Highlands take part in a Southern District planning commission meeting, Beer Sheva, 2015 Figure 6.7 Bedouin tourism operators voice their concerns over their future to visiting government officials, Ramat Tziporim, January, 2015 Figure 6.9 Bedouin hospitality in the Negev, a host roasts coffee beans over an open fire Figure 6.8 Bedouin hospitality in the Negev, a future groom sits with his friends Figure 6.10 Bedouin protest tent along Route 40, displaying signs demanding equal partnership in local development planning, August 2016 Part II Ramat Matred Surveys Tracing of ibex petroglyph from the Negev Ecological Survey at Ramat Matred Geo-ecological overview Figure 7.1. Study area and wadis Figure 7.2. Geological map of the Ramat Matred region (Zilberman and Avni 2004) Figure 7.3. Haloxylon scoparium plant community in a channel filled with loess Figure 7.4. Ecological corridors, nature reserves and national parks in the region, as defined by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (2014) Figure 7.5. Ecological sensitivity of landscape units in the region, per the Ministry of Environment Plants and vegetation Figure 7.6. Vegetation societies, their habitats and points of interest Figure 7.7. Tributary draining into Nahal Avdat with terraces, loess and Haloxylon scoparium Figure 7.8. Limestone rocks, Reaumuria negevensis and Artemisia sieberi, Ramat Matred Figure 7.9. Colchicum tunicatum Feinbrun growing from a crack in a rock Fauna Mammals Avia Table 7.1: Vegetation in the area surveyed at Ramat Matred, October 2015 Figure 7.10. Bedouin shepherd with goats and sheep in the riverbed below Ramat Matred Figure 7.11. Home of spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) and ‘dining table’ with molluscs (Xerocrassa seetzenii) Figure 7.12 Partridge (Alectoris chukar) Figure 7.13 Gecko (Ptyodactylus guttatus) clinging to a rock Figure 7.14 Gecko (Ptyodactylus guttatus) hiding in a crevice amid rock art Reptiles Invertebrates Summary Figure 7.15. Orgyia dubia Figure 7.16. Harvest ants (Messor arenarius) collecting seeds at the entrance to their nest in the riverbed Table 7.2. Coordinates of select sites in the designated plan area and its environs Figure 7.17 and 7.18. Rock art panel in Ramat Matred and Verbascum sinaiticum growing nearby Recommendations Archaeological Survey at Ramat Matred A brief historical account of the Negev Highlands region Previous archaeological studies of the area Survey framework Figure 8.1. Spur on Ramat Matred chosen as the site of the archeological survey Survey findings Figure 8.2. Linear stone courses crisscross the landscape and divert rainfall for irrigation below Ramat Matred Figure 8.3 Remains of a terrace in the riverbed below the spur surveyed at Nahal Avdat Figure 8.4. Watchtower built of dressed stones from the Roman Period Figure 8.5. Tumulus Summary The Rock Art and Archaeological Surveys at Ramat Matred Survey framework Figure 9.1. Map of the survey area Figure 9.2. Map showing rock art and other archaeology on Ramat Matred Survey methodology Figure 9.3. Superimposed petroglyphs with different patina shades Figure 9.4 Distribution of elements according to patina shades Figure 9.5 Petroglyphs from different periods superimposed upon one another Physical data of the rock art Rock patina color (Numbers. 15, 16 and 23): Figure 9.7 Map of distribution of petroglyphs by panel and element visibility Figure 9.6 Petroglyphs amid lichens, Ramat Matred Figure 9.8 Abstract element Figure 9.9 Hunting scene depicting figure with bow, ibex and dogs Elements providing a terminus post quem (No. 28): Table 9.1. Distribution of petroglyphs by type, engraving phase and patina color Table 9.2 Distribution of zoomorphic petroglyphs by species, engraving phase and patina color Distribution of petroglyphs by type, engraving phase and rock patina color Abstract petroglyphs Figure 9.10 Human figure in an orant position below a group of ibex that from their shade appear to be from a different period; to the right of the panel a hunter is depicted riding on the back of an animal, presumably, from its size and shape, a horse Figure 9.11 Distribution of zoomorphic petroglyphs by species Figure 9.12 Breakdown of frequency of zoomorphic images by category Anthropomorphic representations Figure 9.13 Petroglyph of ibex with various horn lengths Figure 9.14 Petroglyph showing a rider with bow and arrow riding atop a camel Figure 9.15 Petroglyph of hunter atop a horse; a second, more abstract, horse is depicted above, while below is an Arabic inscription, possibly from the same period Zoomorphic representations The Ibex Group (Capra nubiana) Figure 9.16 Petroglyph depicting a dog chasing an ibex in a hunting scene Figure 9.17 Petroglyph of ostrich; the dark patina suggests it is from the first engraving phase Figure 9.19 Map of spatial distribution of hand and foot petroglyphs Figure 9.18 Petroglyph of foot The Camel Group (Camelus dromedarius) The Equid Group Dog and Predator Group (Canis lupus familiaris) Table 9.3. Quantified distribution of zoomorphic petroglyphs based on motif and engraving technique Figure 9.20. IMPART personnel conducting the rock art survey on Ramat Matred ‘Other’ Group Hand and foot petroglyphs Distribution of petroglyphs by motif and engraving technique Summary GIS Visualization of the IMPART Surveys (Figures 10.1 to 10.10) Figure 10.1. IMPART project area with roads and settlements layers Figure 10.2. IMPART project area with roads, town settlements and independent farms layers Figure 10.3. IMPART project area with roads, town settlements and Bedouin encampment layers Figure 10.4. IMPART project area with roads, town settlements, independent farms and Bedouin encampments layers Figure 10.5. IMPART project area with Israeli National Park Authority nature reserves Figure 10.6. IMPART project area with Israeli National Park Authority nature reserves and Jewish National Fund (KKL) parks Figure 10.7. IMPART project area with Israeli Defence Force (IDF) firing zones Figure 10.8. IMPART project area with Israeli National Park Authority nature reserves and Jewish National Fund (KKL) parks and official Israel Antiquities Authority sites Figure 10.9. IMPART project area with Israeli National Park Authority nature reserves (green), IDF firing zones (red), and concentrations of Negev rock art (blue) Figure 10.10. Map depicting the complexity of the landscape in the general Negev rock art area that is surrounded with settlements (yellow), independent farms (dark green), Bedouin encampments (black), Israeli National Park Authority nature reserves (ligh Part III Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations Conclusions Promoting heritage-based tourism in the Negev Promoting tourism in the Negev with rock art Figure 11.1. The recognizable logo of the Negev Rock Art Center, 2014 Figure 11.2. Conducting Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) within the context of IMPART research in the Negev Highlands Recommendations Guidelines for fostering sustainable Negev rock art tourism Figure 12.1 International rock art scholar delivers a presentation at the IMPART symposium in December 2016 Envisioning four potential development scenarios Figure 12.2. Unrecognized Bedouin encampment situated below a spur containing Negev rock art; Symposium delegates discussed the past connection the Bedouin have with Negev rock art traditions and conceivable ways to gainfully integrate these communities i Five key factors to keep in mind for future planning Epilogue Figure E.2 Screenshot from home page of Negev rock art App; Users can choose between taking a virtual guided tour or going on a self-guided treasure hunt. Figure E.1 Initial mapping of Negev rock art App (Beta version) Afterword Figure A.2 New INPA signage at the base of Har Karkom (Photograph courtesy of Lior Schwimer and the INPA). Figure A.1 Photograph of a petroglyph from Har Karkom that Emmanuel Anati (1999: 31) interpreted as depicting the “tablets of the law” i.e. the tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments that Moses received on Mount Sinai. (Photograph: Eisenberg-Degen). Figure A.3 Sign at the top of the Har Michia rock art park containing a park map and a brief explanation of the trails; in the background a tour group visits ‘Site 1’ (Photograph: Schmidt). Figure A.4 Trail marker at Har Michia rock art park (Photograph: Schmidt). Figure A.5 Roped-off segment at Har Michia rock art park; in the mid-foreground, a petroglyph depicts a rider mounted on a four-legged animal (presumably a horse or donkey) about to discharge a spear onto its prey, an ostrich (Photograph: Schmidt). Figure A.6 Tourists in the Ramon Crater walk across a foot bridge enroute to climb the ‘Carpentry’, a hill covered in hexagonal petrified stone prisms that resemble wood beams (Photograph: Schmidt). Figure A.7 Rocks containing petroglyphs at Ramat Matred are exposed to the desert elements and are therefore susceptible to natural weathering processes (Photograph: Schmidt). Figure A.8 Weathering processes wrought by years of exposure to the harsh climatic conditions at Ramat Matred are a direct threat to its rock art panels (Photograph: Schmidt). References Bibliography