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Major Discovery Archaeological excavations in a cave on the West Cape Coast, Steenbokfontein Cave, have revealed painted pieces of fallen rock embedded in early deposits. These have been dated to 3,600 BP (Before present) and are the oldest known rock art on the surfaces of rock face (as opposed to paintings on stones called mobiliary art ; see Painted Stones and Graves). This excavation lasted from 1992 to 1997, but the findings were published only last year in Current Anthropology. Portions of the cave wall containing paintings at some time around 3,600 BP cracked and fell from the rock face and were subsequently buried under layers of further human occupation. The authors and archaeologists, Antonieta Jerardino and Natalie Swanepoel , argue that this finding has great significance for a number of reasons. Dating of rock art from pigment used in the painting is extremely difficult. Thus establishing the age of rock art through dating material in the same layer as the found rock art has become the favoured method of dating. While painted stones have been found in layers which have been dated to 26,000 years ago, the discovery of broken slabs in layers where dating can be done, is extremely rare. This discovery also closes the time gap between the tradition of painted stones and painted rock faces. Further conclusions can be drawn from the content and style of the images on the fallen rock. Rock art on the coast is relatively impoverished by comparison with the rock art in the interior of the Western Cape and does not show the interior's richness. However images from the fallen slabs are closer to the style and content of the interior, revealing that probably the difference is due to harsher climatic conditions at the coast which over time destroyed these paintings. Only the later tradition of rough handprints are left at the coast. This remarkable discovery locates painting in Southern Africa at least to 3,600 BP, at least a thousand years before Christ , and is probably linked to an indigenous shamanistic religious tradition. Reference: Jerardino, A and Swanepoel, N. 1999. Painted Slabs from Steenbokfontein Cave: The Oldest Known Parietal Art in Southern Africa. Current Anthropology 40 (4) 542-548. ©Copyright Prime Origins 2001 CONTACT BRETT HILTON-BARBER primeorigins.co.za is an iafrica.com Private Label site