The Figures on the Rocks of the Negev

The civilizations of Sumer and Egypt fed on observations of the sky. They relied on the events of the sky to know the future of those on earth. The sun, the moon and the stars were the centre of the study of astronomy and also represented the gods in different civilizations. Israel, being the smallest neighbour, borrowed these myths and began to carve them as symbols on the rocks of the Negev desert, just as the first humans did before they knew writing.

Some of these figures on the rocks symbolize the four important days of the year, the days of the equinoxes and the solstices — that is, the days when the sun changes place: 21 March, 21 June, 21 December and 23 September. These four days of the year were very important because they were days of pilgrimage to the places considered sacred. On these days they celebrated festivals such as the beginning of the new year, the harvest (hasat), fertility, and they probably made figures on the rocks to commemorate and pass on their wisdom and knowledge to the new generations.

The art of rock figures is not a fine art, but it is the oldest language for transmitting the emotions and the wisdom of the people who lived in these places. Most of these figures reflect the cycle of the moon, of the planets or of the sun, and are connected with astronomy. The worship of the sky can be seen very well in archaeological excavations, as in a tomb. Although the figures look like drawings made by children, or seem to have been done in a hurry to get it over with, the content is much deeper, because they reflect the belief of the artist.

Man was always fascinated looking at the sky. The stars and the planets always helped him to form a calendar. After many observations one could say what was going to happen, what the rhythm of life, of agriculture and of the religious festivals would be. The moon was what was best known in the observation of the sky, and of course a reason for establishing the calendar.

Most of the rock figures of the Negev show us the journey of the Moon, which lasts 28 days each month, as seen in the copy of the worm with 28 feet.

The wise old man who represents the Moon god is on another rock of the Negev, beneath another very important number, 28, which is the cycle of the Moon. Thus in almost all of Mesopotamia and the Middle East the basis of the calendar was always the Moon, which forms the lunar year of 354 days, compared with the solar year of 365 days. That is why our festivals do not always fall on the same date, and that is why our fathers added a month every 3 or 2 years in a cycle of 19 years. That is: 3+3+2+3+3+3+2=19.

Another figure in the rock art of the Negev is the wheel with 12 spokes, representing the 12 months.

The rock art of the Negev is not limited to astronomy; it also deals with fertility, which played a great part in the civilizations of antiquity. The sacred marriage of Father Sky with Mother Earth was… (the published text ends here)