Overlooking the Verlorenvlei River in the Western Cape area of South Africa stands the Diepkloof Rock Shelter – a large sandstone feature. Earlier this year scientists reported that as a result of excavations they had uncovered 270 Fragments of Ostrich Shells 2-3 cm in diameter extracted out from the rocks. What was remarkable about these pieces is that they had been engraved.
This unique collection demonstrates not merely the engraving of a single geometric pattern but the development of a graphic tradition and the complex use of symbols to mediate social interactions. The large number of marked pieces shows that there were rules for composing designs
Texier et al Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences April 2010
Using three independent methods the researchers established that the rocks layers they were found in are around 60,000 years old. So sixty millennia ago someone was employing themselves in the art of decorating eggshells.
Humans before Adam?
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