Room 1: Early traces of the human past.
The creativity of our early human ancestors paved the way for later
cultural and technological innovations that now form part of our
collective heritage. Only when clear traces of symbolic behaviour
appear in the archaeological record in the form of paintings, engravings,
incised ochre, beads and other expressive items, can we infer that
their makers were fully human like ourselves.
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Perforated Nassarius shells from Blombos Cave in the southern Cape. Dated to 75 000 years ago, these shells were probably strung as beads to be worn as personal ornaments; they are the earliest known form of human adornment in the world.
Iziko Archaeological Collection.
Rock engraving of a hippopotamus, 4000 to 300 BP, Klerksdorp District, North West Province
Iziko, SAM
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