An international team of scientists has discovered in South Africa the remains of an unusual mixture of animal collagen and natural pigment, dating back approximately 60,000 years. The find may help provide a better understanding of how ancient people used natural materials. Phys.org reports this, citing a study by Kyushu University, writes UNN.
Details
The researchers analyzed samples of ochre-rich sedimentary rocks from the Klipdrift archaeological complex in the De Hoop Nature Reserve.
Using the paleoproteomics method, which makes it possible to study ancient proteins, the scientists established that the collagen found belonged to a common eland — a large African antelope.
The find reveals new details about the lives of ancient people
The scientists suggest that the inhabitants of this area may have deliberately mixed materials of animal origin with ground ochre — a natural mineral pigment that was used as far back as the Stone Age.
Another possible explanation is that people processed antelope hides with ochre, and the remains discovered were formed during this activity.
The researchers have not yet established the exact purpose of the mixture; however, the find indicates that ancient people used materials of both animal and mineral origin.
The results of the study were published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.