73,000-Year-Old Drawing Found in South Africa by Italian Archaeologist
Italian archaeologist Luca Pollarolo, working at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, discovered a 73,000-year-old stone flake with intentional red cross-hatched lines at Blombos Cave near Cape Town, South Africa. Published in Nature, the find predates previous oldest known drawings from Chauvet (France), El Castillo (Spain), Maros Caves (Indonesia), and Apollo 11 (Namibia). Pollarolo noticed the lines while analyzing about 4,000 lithic artifacts from the Still Bay level in 2015, part of a project directed by Prof. Chris Henshilwood. Tests confirmed the lines are intentional, not taphonomic. The drawing is abstract, possibly symbolic, and indicates early abstract thought and self-awareness in Homo sapiens. The same site yielded perforated shell beads and bone tools. The discovery was reported by Artribune.
Key facts
- Luca Pollarolo discovered a 73,000-year-old stone flake with red cross-hatched lines at Blombos Cave, South Africa.
- The discovery was published in the journal Nature.
- The drawing predates previous oldest known drawings from Chauvet, El Castillo, Maros Caves, and Apollo 11.
- Pollarolo noticed the lines in 2015 while analyzing 4,000 lithic artifacts from the Still Bay level.
- The project is directed by Prof. Chris Henshilwood.
- Tests confirmed the lines are intentional and not due to taphonomy.
- The drawing is abstract, possibly symbolic, and indicates early abstract thought.
- The same site yielded perforated shell beads and bone tools.
Entities
Artists
- Luca Pollarolo
- Chris Henshilwood
Institutions
- University of the Witwatersrand
- Nature
- Artribune
Locations
- Blombos Cave
- Cape Town
- South Africa
- Johannesburg
- France
- Spain
- Indonesia
- Namibia