https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/oldest-drawing-ever-south-africa-blombos-cave-art-hashtag-rock-ochre-a8534696.html


A fragment of stone found in South Africa provides the canvas for what archaeologists believe is the oldest human drawing ever found.

As one of the earliest examples of artistic thinking in humans, the unremarkable-looking rock has given a unique insight into the minds of our distant ancestors.

The cross-hatched pattern drawn in ochre had been buried in Blombos Cave, east of Cape Town, for around 73,000 years.

It was unearthed as archaeologists sifted through the debris found on the floor of the cave, which has already yielded a wealth of materials made by our Stone Age ancestors.

The researchers examined the marks and even recreated the patterns themselves, concluding they had definitely been deliberately applied with an ochre crayon.

Archaeologists used to think the ability of our species to think symbolically did not emerge until Homo sapiens colonised Europe around 40,000 years ago.



Meanwhile, Mormon archaeologists are still looking for any trace of the ancient Nephite civilisation in the Americas -- and they always will be.

Was it a bill from a lawyer?

Chicken N. Backpacks Wrote:
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> Was it a bill from a lawyer?


hahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhhaha probably.

This is a wonderful find!

Three-dimensional proof which will allow us to understand a far more accurate timeline for hominids. (I hope I am using the right word here.)

We have been steadily moving the timeline for "humans" (used in its broadest inclusiveness) backwards in time, and this evidence will further reset the timeline.

At the same time, we are steadily learning that many of the "lower species" (as we have conceived of them) share many unanticipated characteristics with us--characteristics that we once (and very recently, as these things go) believed were human alone, so these "other" new discoveries (whether they involve birds, or octopi, or insects) are also prompting some important reassessments, which call into question some of the claims of singularity in brain processing, emotions, and behavior that we have previously believed were restricted to homo sapiens alone.

Great article, anybody--Thank you!