Artifacts indicate a 100,000-year-old art studio
Thursday, October 13, 2011 - 23:30
in Paleontology & Archaeology
In South Africa, abalone shells covered with pigment and tools for making paints are found in a cave, suggesting humans began thinking symbolically much earlier than previously recognized.In a tiny South African cave, archaeologists have unearthed a 100,000-year-old art studio that contains tools for mixing powder from red and yellow rocks with animal fat and marrow to make vibrant paints as well as abalone shells full of dried-out red pigment, the oldest ancient paint containers ever found.