World Heritage Identification Number: 94
World Heritage since: 1979
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇮🇹 Italy
Continent: Europe
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
Map
The Enigmatic Rock Drawings in Valcamonica: A Unique Testimony of Prehistoric Art
The enchanting landscape of the Italian Alps conceals a hidden treasure that has captivated scholars, archaeologists, and art enthusiasts for centuries - the Rock Drawings in Valcamonica. This extraordinary collection of prehistoric petroglyphs, dating back approximately 8,000 years, is not only the largest of its kind in the world but also offers a unique insight into the lives, beliefs, and cultural practices of our distant ancestors.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
Valcamonica, situated in the Lombardy plain, has one of the world's greatest collections of prehistoric petroglyphs – more than 140,000 symbols and figures carved in the rock over a period of 8,000 years and depicting themes connected with agriculture, navigation, war and magic.
Encyclopedia Record: Rock Drawings in Valcamonica
The rock drawings in Valcamonica are located in the Province of Brescia, Italy, and constitute the largest collections of prehistoric petroglyphs in the world. The collection was recognized by UNESCO in 1979 and was Italy's first recognized World Heritage Site. UNESCO has formally recognized more than 140,000 figures and symbols, but new discoveries have increased the number of catalogued incisions to between 200,000 and 300,000. The petroglyphs are spread on all surfaces of the valley, but concentrated in the areas of Darfo Boario Terme, Capo di Ponte, Nadro, Cimbergo and Paspardo.Additional Site Details
Area: 432.3 hectares
(vi) — Directly associated with events or living traditions
Coordinates: 45.95705556 , 10.29733333
Image
© Luca Giarelli, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
