View source for Qurta

{{Short description|Village in Egypt}}
{{For|the village in Georgia|Kurta (village)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
'''Qurta''' is a [[village]] in [[Egypt]], located on the east bank of the [[Nile]] River in the upper Nile valley. It is known for its [[petroglyphs]] dating back to the [[Upper Paleolithic]] period, from Egypt's [[Prehistoric Egypt|prehistoric era]], which can be found in [[Nubian Sandstone]] formations bordering the Nile.<ref name="World Archaeology 2012">{{cite journal|date=28 May 2012|title=Egypt: The Aurochs of Qurta|url=https://www.world-archaeology.com/features/egypt-the-aurochs-of-qurta/|journal=[[World Archaeology]]|issue=53|access-date=30 May 2023}}</ref> The Qurta petroglyphs are the first known and oldest example of [[Pleistocene]]-era artwork in [[North Africa]].<ref name="World Archaeology 2012" /><ref name="Huyge et al. 2011">{{cite journal|last1=Huyge|first1=Dirk|last2=Vandenberghe|first2=Dimitri A.G.|last3=De Dapper|first3=Morgan|last4=Mees|first4=Florias|last5=Claes|first5=Wouter|last6=Darnell|first6=John C.|date=21 November 2011|title=First evidence of Pleistocene rock art in North Africa: securing the age of the Qurta petroglyphs (Egypt) through OSL dating|url=https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/2027237/file/6766454|journal=[[Antiquity (journal)|Antiquity]]|volume=85|issue=330|pages=1184–1193|doi=10.1017/S0003598X00061998|s2cid=130471822 |access-date=30 May 2023}}</ref>
==Petroglyphs==
Qurta's petroglyphs, incised in [[Nubian Sandstone]] formations along the Nile, were discovered by modern archaeologists in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heritagedaily.com/2011/11/nile-rock-art-is-at-least-15000-years-old/16419|title=Nile Rock Art Is at Least 15,000 Years Old|date=November 2011|website=Heritage Daily|access-date=30 May 2023}}</ref> Using [[luminescence dating]] via [[optically stimulated luminescence]] (OSL), researchers at [[Ghent University]] in Belgium determined the petroglyphs to be a minimum of 15,000 years old, and possibly between 17,000 and 19,000 years old.<ref name="World Archaeology 2012" /><ref name="Huyge et al. 2011" /> This dates the Qurta petroglyphs to the [[Upper Paleolithic]] era, from the [[Prehistoric Egypt|prehistoric period of Egypt]]; they are the first known and earliest example of [[Pleistocene]]-era artwork in [[North Africa]].<ref name="World Archaeology 2012" />
The Qurta petroglyphs depict [[aurochs]], birds, hippopotamids, gazelle, [[hartebeest]], fish, "some indeterminate creatures ('monsters' or hybrids)", and stylised human figures.<ref name="World Archaeology 2012" /> A total of 185 individual figures have been identified.<ref name="World Archaeology 2012" />
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{coord missing|Egypt}}
[[Category:Villages in Egypt]]
[[Category:Stone age sites]]
{{Egypt-geo-stub}}