Post by L Roebuck on Aug 14, 2006 8:47:08 GMT -5
Archaeological find may change Tsodilo history
14 August, 2006
GABORONE - A Norwegian archaeologist has made a discovery at Tsodilo Hills that may change the known history of the hills and the paintings on its caves.
Sheila Coulson, an archaeologist from the University of Oslo, Norway, and her team of researchers have found a snake carving dating to the middle stone age, which is about 40 000 years ago.
The carving, which was discovered inside the Rhino cave at the hills, may prove that the Ngamiland situated national heritage site, had had inhabitants long before it was thought they were occupied.
The six meters long and two meter tall carving is likely to increase the number of tourists and researchers visiting the Tsodilo hills, located about 40km west of Nxamasere in the Okavango Sub-District.
The hills are famous for their beautiful rock carvings and paintings and have attracted tourists, archaeologists and researchers over the years.
Coulson, who has been undertaking extensive work in the area for the past eight years, says the discovery of the carved snake like drawing may give answers about the origins of human behaviour which has baffled academics for a long time.
The University of Oslo professor told a public lecture at the University of Botswana that a lot of fascinating evidence has been found inside the cave which may assist in the debate about the patterns of human behaviour.
She said different artefacts shaped like most other middle age tools had been extracted from the cave, but that unlike the same generation of tools found elsewhere, the Rhino cave tools were not meant for the daily activities of the San people.
Coulson said unlike the dull coloured tools found at the Corner cave of the same hill and which were possibly used in the hunter-gatherer life, the Rhino artefacts were beautiful and polished.
She said some of the tools were fancily polished, others were red while others were burnt after they were manufactured.
These tools, Coulson said, may have been produced with the deliberate intention to hand them over as some kind of offering to the snake shaped carving. She said this might suggest that the inhabitants of the caves had some kind of religion.
She said the artefacts may also define the significance of the caves to communities that lived around the hills in the middle ages.
Coulson said the finding may also mean that the Rhino cave was used as a Shamanist palace, a workshop or a ritual place.
Coulsons team comprised of masters degree students from the University of Oslo, Carine Eymundsson and Sigrid Staurset as well as University of Botswana fourth-year-student, Monoso Mopako. BOPA
Article: www.gov.bw/cgi-bin/news.cgi?d=20060814&i=Archaeological_find_may_change_Tsodilo_history
14 August, 2006
GABORONE - A Norwegian archaeologist has made a discovery at Tsodilo Hills that may change the known history of the hills and the paintings on its caves.
Sheila Coulson, an archaeologist from the University of Oslo, Norway, and her team of researchers have found a snake carving dating to the middle stone age, which is about 40 000 years ago.
The carving, which was discovered inside the Rhino cave at the hills, may prove that the Ngamiland situated national heritage site, had had inhabitants long before it was thought they were occupied.
The six meters long and two meter tall carving is likely to increase the number of tourists and researchers visiting the Tsodilo hills, located about 40km west of Nxamasere in the Okavango Sub-District.
The hills are famous for their beautiful rock carvings and paintings and have attracted tourists, archaeologists and researchers over the years.
Coulson, who has been undertaking extensive work in the area for the past eight years, says the discovery of the carved snake like drawing may give answers about the origins of human behaviour which has baffled academics for a long time.
The University of Oslo professor told a public lecture at the University of Botswana that a lot of fascinating evidence has been found inside the cave which may assist in the debate about the patterns of human behaviour.
She said different artefacts shaped like most other middle age tools had been extracted from the cave, but that unlike the same generation of tools found elsewhere, the Rhino cave tools were not meant for the daily activities of the San people.
Coulson said unlike the dull coloured tools found at the Corner cave of the same hill and which were possibly used in the hunter-gatherer life, the Rhino artefacts were beautiful and polished.
She said some of the tools were fancily polished, others were red while others were burnt after they were manufactured.
These tools, Coulson said, may have been produced with the deliberate intention to hand them over as some kind of offering to the snake shaped carving. She said this might suggest that the inhabitants of the caves had some kind of religion.
She said the artefacts may also define the significance of the caves to communities that lived around the hills in the middle ages.
Coulson said the finding may also mean that the Rhino cave was used as a Shamanist palace, a workshop or a ritual place.
Coulsons team comprised of masters degree students from the University of Oslo, Carine Eymundsson and Sigrid Staurset as well as University of Botswana fourth-year-student, Monoso Mopako. BOPA
Article: www.gov.bw/cgi-bin/news.cgi?d=20060814&i=Archaeological_find_may_change_Tsodilo_history