South African scientists from Nelson Mandela University discovered the oldest human-made animal painting. It turned out to be a blue stingray statue of the Dasyatis chrysonata species, made of petrified sand, found on the beach 330 kilometers away from Cape Town, South Africa. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Rock Art Research (RSR).
The artifact was located about 30 kilometers from Blombos Cave, famous for its examples of prehistoric creativity. Previously, rock paintings dating back to 77 thousand and 73 thousand years ago were discovered here.
A study of the statue showed that it was created during the Middle Paleolithic period, approximately 130 thousand years ago. Scientists have confirmed that it is a man-made object, as it has an almost perfect symmetry that is not typical of natural formations. In addition, the unknown author engraved characteristic patterns on his work.
According to archaeologists, the artifact they found allows them to trace the development of ancient human art from its origins, when the distant ancestors of modern humans moved from abstract forms to the depiction of creatures. First they used sand to express themselves, then they moved on to rock paintings.
Earlier archaeologists I learnedPrehistoric artists in Brazil were inspired by fossilized dinosaur footprints.