doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309908
Credibility: 989
#Pinturas rupestres
San cave paintings in South Africa likely depict extinct dicynodonts, highlighting the local people’s early involvement in paleontology before Western discovery.
San artists may have painted an ancient animal that lived in southern Africa more than 250 million years ago, according to new research published in the journal Plos One.
The painting, located in a cave on La Belle France farm in South Africa’s Free State province, may be the world’s oldest piece of art depicting an extinct mammal-like reptile called a dicynodont, created long before the animal’s official scientific discovery, which didn’t happen until at least a decade later.
Reinterpreting Misidentified Cave Art:
Professor Julien Benoit, a paleontologist at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University), has reinterpreted this mysterious cave painting, which had previously been misidentified as a walrus-like animal or even a saber-toothed tiger.
“Although the image looks strangely like a walrus, there are no such animals in Africa,” says Benoit.
Linking Art to Paleontological Discoveries
Dicynodonts are ancient relatives of mammals that roamed the Earth between 265 and 200 million years ago. The Karoo region of South Africa, where the painting was found, is known for having many fossils of these animals.
“The San lived and hunted among fossil footprints, bones, skulls and teeth of long-extinct reptiles,” explains Benoit.”This painting is compelling evidence that they not only discovered these fossils, but also attempted to reconstruct the living animal in their art.”
Evidence of Ancient Paleontological Knowledge:
Benoit found several fossil bones near the cave, supporting the idea that the San artists based their paintings on real fossil discoveries. Interestingly, the body posture of the painted animal mimics the “death pose” that is common in fossilized skeletons, which reinforces the connection with paleontological discoveries.
The painting is believed to have been made before 1835, while the first scientific description of dicynodonts was in 1845, by the British paleontologist Sir Richard Owen. This shows that the San were pioneers in paleontology, recognizing and representing extinct species long before the formal scientific community.
“This discovery is extraordinary. It suggests that the San people were engaging in paleontology long before Western scientists knew that these beings existed,” says Benoit.
Cultural and Mythological Significance:
A San myth tells of “huge beasts,” now completely extinct, that used to roam southern Africa long ago. This story may refer to the fossils of dicynodonts from the Karoo region that the San discovered and tried to understand. The study of the cave painting at La Belle France Cave and the mysterious animal depicted in it supports this idea.
“The dicynodont may have been represented as a “brain animal”, a mythical creature in San cosmology. They may have had a special meaning in San paintings.”
This research not only rewrites the history of paleontology, but also highlights the deep scientific knowledge and observational skills of indigenous communities. It opens up new possibilities for interpreting rock art and understanding the complex relationship between ancient people and the prehistoric world around them.
Publicado em 10/22/2024 23h07
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