A colorful pebble bearing a sequence of linear incisions may be the world's oldest engraving, according to reports that appeared on www,msn.com.
The object, which will be described in the April issue of the Journal of Archaeology, dates back about 100,000 years ago and could also be the world’s oldest known . It was recovered from Klasies River Cave in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
Rifkin and colleagues Francesco d’Errico and Renata Garcia Moreno performed extensive non-invasive analyses of the object. Methods like X-ray fluorescence and microscopic analysis enabled the researchers to examine every minute detail of the ochre pebble, which appears to have split off from a once larger piece.
The scientists conclude that humans intentionally made the sub-parallel linear incisions on the Middle Stone Age pebble, added MSN.
Now the middle stone age is pretty old. Staten Island art enthusiasts and historians, do you feel that the cave people made these markings on the ancient stone for symbolic purpose? What do you think the ancient artists were attempting to accomplish? Were the stone markings made for symbolic sacrifice or was their another purpose. Staten Islanders, we at www.examiner.com would like to know your opinion on this age-old discovery.
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