Immortalizing the Past

This beautiful book contains over 280 detailed drawings and meticulously presented reproductions of Zimbabwean rock art made by Lionel Cripps between 1938 and 1940. Southern Africa is one of the richest rock art areas in the world, and more than 10,000 sites are found in Zimbabwe. He copied figures from 600 sites that he visited, in many different areas of Zimbabwe. His collection of eleven volumes of notated drawings and paintings has been archived in Harare at the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe, since his death. This book thus provides the first opportunity for the general public to view his careful representations of the rock art of Zimbabwe. The selection of Cripps’ drawings has been researched and compiled by Ancila Nhamo together with the Archaeology Unit at the University of Zimbabwe.