San Rock Art
“Southern Africa probably has the richest legacy of Rock Art in the world. The Western Cape particularly the mountainous regions from the Koue Bokkeveld, through the Cederberg to the Agter Pakhuis, may have more rock painting per square kilometer than anywhere else in Southern Africa” Peter Slingsby 1998. Southern African rock art has been dated to be as old as 28 000 years, with the age of the Cederberg paintings ranging from 8 000 years to 100 or 200 years. The paintings most commonly record animal scenes, and it is thought that particular animals such as Eland, have important symbolic religious meanings. Humans are also commonly depicted, often in procession, hunting or out gathering food. Other types of paintings show therianthropes (half animal half human figures) and entoptic shapes, both possibly resulting from hallucinations during trance states. |
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