South African Cave Houses 100,000-Year-Old Art Studio?

By Elton Jones, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, October 13, 2011

Researchers in South Africa have come upon what may be the world's oldest art studio.

The cave that researchers discovered is said to date back to the middle of the Stone Age. At this point in time, humans were creating very beneficial tools, such as harpoons. These items would allow them to migrate out of Africa in small groups.

This 100,000-year-old art studio was apparently used to mix and store the reddish pigment ochre, which was used for all types of artistic expressions. Ochre is a kind of dirt rock that contains red or yellow oxides or hydroxides of iron. It is still used for decoration by some African tribes.

According to researchers, the ochre may have been used for painting, decoration and skin protection.

Also found in the cave site were these items: bone, charcoal, grindstones and hammerstones.

The cave and art studio were discovered in Blombos Cave on the southern coast near Cape Town. At the same site, scientists found some of the earliest sharp stone tools, as well as evidence of early fishing.

Christopher Henshilwood, lead researcher from the University of Bergen, Norway, stated that this find represents an important benchmark in the evolution of complex human mental processes. He also stated that researchers believe that pieces of ochre were rubbed on rock to make a fine red powder, and that was mixed with crushed bone, charcoal, stone chips and a liquid. He also notes that the mixture was put into abalone shells and stirred with a bone.

Christopher Henshilwood is also an affiliate of South Africa's University of Witwatersrand.

This latest scientific find was reported in last Friday's edition of the journal entitled Science. The journal shows pieces of ochre, grinding bowls, shells for storage and bone and the charcoal used to mix with the pigment.

The authors for Science note that this find points to the conceptual ability of past humans. They feel that past humans' ability to combine and store such substances represents a critical point in the evolution of human comprehension.