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

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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

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