Massi di Cemmo Photos of the Beautiful Prehistoric Rock Art

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Massi di Cemmo Photos of the Beautiful Prehistoric Rock Art Petroglyphs – 1600 to 1000 BC found in Val Camonica Italy. Photos by Paul E Williams

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Massi di Cemmo Photos of the Beautiful Prehistoric Rock Art Petroglyphs

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Massi di Cemmo Photos prehistoric rock petroglyph, rock carvings, at the sanctuary at Massi di Cemmo National Archaeological Park, Pian Delle Greppe, Capo di Ponti, Lombardy, Italy.

The prehistoric sanctuary of Massi di Cemmo was mentioned for the first time in 1914 in the Italian Touring Guide of Lombardy. The site was excavated in 19030 to reveal two glacial boulder stones known as the Cemmo Stones with prehistoric petroglyphs, rock carvings in a glacial hollow called Pian Delle Greppe.

In the year 2000 further excavations revealed an extensive megalithic sanctuary with a semi circle of stones within which is a wall forming a sort of enclosure. It is believed that the site was used for religious ceremonies from the Copper age, 3rd millennium BC up until the Roman period and maybe beyond until Christianity closed all pagan places of worship.

The small glacial valley of the Pian Delle Greppe was probably formed during the first half of the Holocene period and a landslide moved the Cemmo Stones to their present day situation. The Cemmo Stones had petroglyphs cut into them. During the Copper Age when according to pollen analysis there was a lake to the North east of the sanctuary.

Cemmo Stone no 1 is known locally as the “puppet stone” it stands at 2.6 m high and the prehistoric engravings are on its east face. There are over 150 prehistoric petroglyphs on this stone depicting animals, daggers, stags with large antlers and Ibex.

Cemmo stone no 2 is situated 15 m away and also stands at 2.5 m high with petroglyphs on its northern face. These engravings are less visible than the Cemmo Stone no 1 as the rocks surface is more rugged. The subject matter on both stones is the same.

All photos can be downloaded as royalty free images.