The Dancing Ladies of Baradergolo (Ennedi, Chad)

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In 1957, during initial archaeological excavation of Ennedi by Gérard Bailloud, transparent tracing was used for documenting rock art (Bailloud's survey is on the right). At that time, photographs were only used to confirm accuracy of the tracings. A survey through tracing has several advantages over a simple picture: scale does not depend on perspective, and lens-related distortion is absent. In his survey, French archaeologist Gérard Bailloud overlooked mixed herd at upper right panel corner, composed of sheep and cow. Flocks of sheep are widespread in Ennedi art due to Final Cattle Period. This panel from Bardergolo I features three rows of women holding hands, likely performing a collective dance. Notably, head tops of the women on the right row have pointed terminations, which in that period's art are predominantly masculine features.