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For at least 15 000 years ostrich eggshells have been used all over
southern Africa as flasks for storing water. The hole was sealed with
a grass, beeswax or clay plug, and the flasks could be buried at
strategic places and left for a long time. Ostrich eggshell flasks
were also used for holding cosmetic powders made from ochre and
specularite. The incised patterns with which Khoe-San flasks were
sometimes decorated were coloured with charcoal or ochre, and may have
served not only as decoration but also as identification marks. Presented by Dr P Range.
(SAMAE1746)
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