2023-09-19 16:19:38
Engravings found in the Doro! Nawas mountains in Namibia. ANDREAS PASTOORS / CC-BY 4.0
Created by African hunter-gatherers between 5,000 and 1,000 BC, numerous engravings have been found in the Doro Nawas Mountains in Namibia, featuring human and animal silhouettes. Footprints and animal tracks also feature prominently. In a study published on Wednesday, September 13, by PLOS One, three German archaeologists had enlisted the help of native trackers to try to identify the species from footprints that were drawn. These experts were able to define the species, sex, age range and even the exact leg of the animal or human in over 90% of the 513 engravings they analyzed. They distinguished some 40 different species, the most common of which were giraffe, antelope (kudu and springbok), rhinoceros and ostrich. According to these results, some of the footprints refer to species not represented in animal silhouette engravings.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.
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