Art on the Rocks of Southern Africa

Art on the Rocks of Southern Africa by D.N. Lee and H.C. Woodhouse (Purnell, 1970) is a significant illustrated survey of southern Africa’s prehistoric rock art, published at a time when public and scholarly interest in indigenous cultural heritage was gaining renewed momentum. Issued by Purnell & Sons, a well-known South African publisher of high-quality illustrated books, this 1970 edition presents an accessible yet informed introduction to the rock paintings and engravings found across the subcontinent.

The book explores the rich legacy of San and Khoisan rock art, examining both painted and engraved works preserved on rock faces, shelters, and outcrops throughout southern Africa. Lee and Woodhouse focus on the visual language of the art — animal figures, human forms, hunting scenes, ritual imagery, and symbolic motifs — while situating these images within their environmental and cultural contexts. The text reflects the interpretive frameworks of its time, combining descriptive analysis with early anthropological and archaeological perspectives.

Art on the Rocks of Southern Africa is particularly notable for its illustrative content. Photographs and reproductions form a central component of the book, allowing readers to appreciate the delicacy, skill, and expressive power of the original artworks. The emphasis on visual documentation makes the volume both an educational resource and an engaging introduction for general readers interested in southern Africa’s ancient past.

As a 1970 Purnell publication, this book now also holds historical value as a product of mid-twentieth-century scholarship and heritage presentation. It remains of interest to collectors of Africana, students of rock art and archaeology, and readers drawn to the visual and cultural history of southern Africa. Art on the Rocks of Southern Africa stands as a concise and evocative record of one of the region’s most important and enduring artistic traditions.