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A 100,000-year-old ochre-processing workshop at Blombos Cave, South Africa
Christopher S Henshilwood1, Francesco d'Errico, Karen L van Niekerk
1Institute for Archaeology, History, Culture and Religion, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. christopher.henshilwood@ahkr.uib.no
None:
The conceptual ability to source, combine, and store substances that enhance technology or social practices represents a benchmark in the evolution of complex human cognition. Excavations in 2008 at Blombos Cave, South Africa, revealed a processing workshop where a liquefied ochre-rich mixture was produced and stored in two Haliotis midae (abalone) shells 100,000 years ago. Ochre, bone, charcoal, grindstones, and hammerstones form a composite part of this production toolkit. The application of the mixture is unknown, but possibilities include decoration and skin protection.
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