Title
An engraved bone fragment from c. 70,000-year-old Middle Stone Age levels at Blombos Cave, South Africa : implications for the origin of symbolism and language
Files
Download Full Text
Publication Date
January 2022
Abstract
Examination of marks on a bone from Blombos Cave reveals that they were intentionally engraved and there is evidence of bone working techniques at the site. Engraved designs have also been identified on pieces of ochre from Blombos Cave, suggesting such engraving was a symbolic act with symbolic meaning.
Keywords
Animal remains (Archaeology), Engraving, Caves, Symbolic anthropology, Mesolithic period, Africa, South Africa, Western Cape, Blombos Cave
Type
Article
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Identifier
K26-05572
Recommended Citation
D'Errico, Francesco; Henshilwood, Christopher; and Nilssen, Peter, "An engraved bone fragment from c. 70,000-year-old Middle Stone Age levels at Blombos Cave, South Africa : implications for the origin of symbolism and language" (2022). KIP Articles. 234.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles/234