Argyle Petroglyphs to be preserved
News
January 29, 2010
Argyle Petroglyphs to be preserved

Work on the relocation of the petroglyphs at Argyle is expected to begin soon, with the assistance of the Government of Egypt.{{more}}

At a press conference held last week at the site of an archaeological dig at Argyle, Kathy Martin, Head of the Archaeological Committee of the St Vincent and the Grenadines National Trust, said that the Egyptian Culture Minister would be sending a team of persons here within the next few weeks to begin the work of relocating the Argyle petroglyphs.

This is a follow up to the initial contact made by Sir Louis Straker, Minister of Foreign Affairs, during a recent visit to Egypt where the issue was put to the Egyptian Honorary Consul.

According to Martin, the Vincentian Foreign Minister made the request for assistance on the project based on Egypt’s previous experience in the relocation of its own historical monuments to accommodate the construction of the Aswan Dam.

“Hopefully within the next few weeks we will get the assistance needed to try secure and keep them (petroglyphs) for the region,” Martin said.

“It’s not just us who are custodians of the petroglyphs – the region as a whole need it cause there are images on them which do not occur in the other islands,” she continued. “We have a big responsibility.”

The assistance was sought after the project of relocating the historical artifacts was deemed a very difficult and technical task to undertake, Martin added.