The Oldest Art

The Oldest Art

The Lascaux Caves of France may be the most famous prehistoric cave paintings in the world – even inspiring a popular book series- but the oldest cave art in the world is actually over 7600 miles away in the much less famous site of Blombos Cave, South Africa.

The stone art in Blombos is estimated to have been created 73,000 years ago – tens of thousands of years before the Lascaux painters lived and 30,000 years older than the El Castillo cave painting.  The drawing is on a small piece of stone, though, and not on the cave walls.  That is one difference.  Another is that it is only a small piece that seems to have flaked off a larger drawing we haven’t discovered.  

San cave art in the Drakensburg, South Africa

But most of the rock art that can be seen in southern Africa is not so ancient, although it is very, very old.  Created by the San people and their ancestors up to 5,000 years ago, the scientists are still trying to decode what the paintings mean and the evolution of painting styles.

San cave art in the Drakensburg, South Africa

San cave art in the Drakensburg, South Africa

Unfortunately, the very thing that makes the paintings an incredible opportunity for ordinary people to see as a first-person witness is also the thing that is causing the disappearance of artwork that is critically important for understanding the rich history of Africa.  Open to the public without many protections, San cave art is being actively erased in several areas.  Vandals scratch out and paint over thousands of years of history, and development threatens others. 

Khoisan Engaged in Roasting Grasshoppers on Grills by Sameul Daniell

Khoisan Engaged in Roasting Grasshoppers on Grills by Sameul Daniell 

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