The engraved eggshells of Diepkloof
Ostrich-egg flasks with a signature pattern
Around 60,000 years ago people at a rock shelter in South Africa carried water in ostrich eggshells and scratched patterns into them. More than 270 engraved fragments survive, and the motifs repeat (hatched bands, parallel lines, ladders), perhaps marking a group or an owner.
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Meanwhile around the world (±25 years)
Eastern Europe & Russia
- c. 60,000 BC The Denisovans — same year