Have you ever thought about the things our prehistoric ancestors would have thought about? What kind of art would they have been interested in? An answer can finally be given to this question. According to a study in the Nature journal, the oldest drawing in human history has been found.
The drawing is a red, cross-hatched pattern that resembles a series of hashtags stitched together. This “oldest drawing” dates back to 73,000 years. This drawing predates all previously abstract and figurative drawing by at least 30,000 years.
The cross-hatched pattern drawing in ochre had been buried till now. It rested deep in the Blombos Cave near the southern tip of South Africa and east of Cape Town. This site contains some of the earliest evidence of known modern human cultural activity.
The small rock fragment is known as a flake. Scientists believe that a human intentionally and deliberately drew the lines on the flake. The researchers with the aid of microscopical and chemical analysis concluded that a red ochre pigment was intentionally applied to the flake with an ochre “crayon”. According to the researchers, the crayon had a tip of about 1 to 3 millimetres width.
The mineral of the crayon largely consisted of iron oxide. It has been used as a pigment since time immemorial and thus the red colouration is not a subject of surprise or astonishment.
This finding shows us how early Homo sapiens in southern Africa made graphic designs in various media using different techniques and colours. This proves that the emergence and use of symbols has been an affair that dates far back than was ever anticipated.
