From the Cover: A Howiesons Poort tradition of engraving ostrich eggshell containers dated to 60,000 years ago at Diepkloof Rock Shelter, South Africa

Abstract

Ongoing debates about the emergence of modern human behavior, however defined, regularly incorporate observations from the later part of the southern African Middle Stone Age and emphasize the early appearance of artifacts thought to reflect symbolic practice. Here we report a large sample of 270 fragments of intentionally marked ostrich eggshell from the Howiesons Poort at Diepkloof Rock Shelter, Western Cape, South Africa. Dating from approximately 60,000 years ago, these pieces attest to an engraving tradition that is the earliest reliable evidence of what is a widespread modern practice. These abstract linear depictions were made on functional items (eggshell containers), which were curated and involved in daily hunter-gatherer life. The standardized production of repetitive patterns, including a hatched band motif, suggests a system of symbolic representation in which collective identities and individual expressions are clearly communicated, suggesting social, cultural, and cognitive underpinnings that overlap with those of modern people.

Fig. 1.

Fragments of engraved ostrich eggshells found in the Howiesons Poort of Diepkloof Rock Shelter (Western Cape, South Africa). Except for A, all the pieces belong to the same stratigraphic unit (layer Frank). A and C show a series of deeply engraved, straight, subparallel lines. B, D–G, and I show a hatched band motif. B and E have evidence of two separate hatched bands, and fragment D has evidence of three separate hatched bands. Fragment H shows slightly curved lines crossing a central line.

Fig. 2.

Stratigraphic sequence at Diepkloof Rock Shelter (Western Cape, South Africa) and the main chronocultural attributions. The profile is at the section K6-M6/K7-M7. Only the main layers are shown.

Fig. 3.

Engraving sequences of ostrich eggshells at Diepkloof Rock Shelter (Howiesons Poort, Western Cape, South Africa). Numbers indicate the relative chronology of the patterns; arrows show the direction of the incisions. The engraving sequence of the hatched band motif (A–F) is standardized in that the hatched lines always postdate the band (horizontal lines). Motif G consists of slightly curved lines that cross a central line. The curvature of the sub-perpendicular lines is reversed on either side of the central line.

Fig. 4.

Macro- and microscopic details on EOES fragments with a hatched band motif from Diepkloof Rock Shelter (Western Cape, South Africa). (Top) Macroscopic details on a fragment with three bands (Middle) from DRS-layer Frank, N7, #2447 (A) Detail of scratches. Scratches are superficial marks originating from a friction mechanism. Their origin could predate the acquisition of the egg or could be functional (use or storage) or postdepositional. (B) Detail of hatched lines. (C) Dendritic manganese spot. (D) Vertical hatched line postdates the horizontal line. (Bottom) (A and B) Microscopic details on a fragment with one band from DRS-layer OB2, O9, #638. (A) Detail of groove intersection within a hatched band motif. The vertical hatched lines postdate the horizontal line. (B) Two parallel grooves document different morphologies: a V-shaped morphology on the left and a U-shaped morphology on the right. The photograph on the far right shows the location on the fragment of the details in A and B.

Fig. 5.

Diepkloof Rock Shelter (Western Cape, South Africa). Two examples of intentionally perforated ostrich eggshells from the Howiesons Poort. A shows diverging grooves starting at the edge of the perforation. The aperture diameter is estimated to be 12 mm. B shows percussion marks characteristic of a punching technique. In both cases, the perforation is funnel-shaped with an internal diameter greater than the exterior diameter, suggesting a final percussive blow.