The Buahit Serit Rock Art and other Archaeological Sites along the Blue Nile Valley of Ethiopia

This work presents previously unknown rock art along the Blue Nile, on the walls of the Buahit Serit gorge in Northwestern Ethiopia. Although Ethiopia has the largest number of rock art sites in the Horn of Africa, Buahit Serit is the first documented rock art site in Northwestern Ethiopia. The rock paintings display hunting, herding, and geometric representations, based on a comparison of the motifs and painting style, the site dated relative to the late Holocene (1000 BCE–1000 CE). Further interpretation introduces the idea that some geometric designs may represent stylized headdresses, suggesting cultural continuity with living pastoralists. Complementary survey in this region indicates a potential settlement, burial site, iron slags, and lithic concentrations. Unfortunately, today the Buahit Serit rock paintings, like many Ethiopian rock art sites, are endangered due to anthropogenic and natural causes.