Giraffes Petroglyph
A petroglyph is defined as “a carving or inscription on a rock that is created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art.” They are found world-wide, and are often associated with prehistoric peoples. So aside from possibly the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, you might not expect to find a petroglyph in D.C. But on this lunchtime bike ride, that’s exactly what I did.
As I was riding on a driveway through the courtyard of a building located at 1145 17th Street (MAP) in northwest D.C.’s Downtown neighborhood, I saw a petroglyph depicting a couple of giraffes. Hiding in some bushes and ivy and partially obscured by a tree, the giraffes seemed to be peeking out at me from behind the foliage. So naturally I had to stop to get a better look and find out more about it.
It turns out that the building with the petroglyph in the courtyard is the National Geographic Society’s headquarters. One of the most well-known and largest nonprofit scientific and educational institutions in the world, the Society’s interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history.
The Society’s headquarters building also contains a museum that features a wide range of changing exhibitions, from interactive experiences to photography exhibitions featuring the work of National Geographic explorers, photographers, and scientists. The museum is centrally located in downtown D.C., just a few blocks from The White House. And admission tickets can be purchased in person at the museum ticket booth or online.
I’ll have to go back to the museum on another day when I have more time to spend so that I can more thoroughly enjoy it. But for today, happening upon the giraffes petroglyph and finding out about the museum was enough.
[Click on the photos above to view the full size versions]
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