cave paintings -- I was wrong!

Dan Goodman

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Jul 8, 2002, 9:32:02 PM7/8/02

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I've checked, and the oldest cave paintings (found so far) are a mere
30,000 years old. Not the 300,000 I remembered. Apologies.

Checking this out, I found something else: About 77,000 years ago, someone
scratched abstract designs into stones. Purpose unknown. Possibilities
mentioned by experts quoted in the newspaper story include:

rather abstract representations of something in their world

numerals

writing

Neil Barnes

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Jul 9, 2002, 1:19:39 PM7/9/02

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Dan Goodman <dsg...@visi.com> wrote in
news:Xns9245D0DF4D9...@209.98.98.13:

There's a couple of columns about it in last (this? current one,
anyway) week's Economist - not much more details though, mostly
where and how. They do point out that they were found in
proximity to large amounts of red ochre.

Dan Goodman

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Jul 9, 2002, 1:48:47 PM7/9/02

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Neil Barnes <nailed_...@hotmail.com> wrote in news:agf5vb$l7dur$1@ID-
123172.news.dfncis.de:

Thanks! I'll have to check that.

The possibility of there having been writing that long ago is interesting,
to say the least.

oneironaut....@gmx.net

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Jul 10, 2002, 12:56:39 AM7/10/02

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Dan Goodman <dsg...@visi.com> wrote:

They forgot 'Scrabble'.

--Squid, skimmed the entire More than Complete in about
six hours the other night, still recovering.

Dan Goodman

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Jul 10, 2002, 1:48:35 AM7/10/02

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oneironaut....@gmx.net wrote in
news:5aaniukrd9aldtkdr...@4ax.com:

> Dan Goodman <dsg...@visi.com> wrote:
>
>> I've checked, and the oldest cave paintings (found so far) are a mere
>> 30,000 years old. Not the 300,000 I remembered. Apologies.
>>
>> Checking this out, I found something else: About 77,000 years ago,
>> someone scratched abstract designs into stones. Purpose unknown.
>> Possibilities mentioned by experts quoted in the newspaper story
>> include:
>>
>> rather abstract representations of something in their world
>>
>> numerals
>>
>> writing
>
> They forgot 'Scrabble'.

That would be under "writing".

Manny Olds

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Jul 10, 2002, 8:04:52 AM7/10/02

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No, under "ritualistic or religious activities"

Mark Brown

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Jul 12, 2002, 11:03:18 AM7/12/02

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"Neil Barnes" <nailed_...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:agf5vb$l7dur$1...@ID-123172.news.dfncis.de...

> Dan Goodman <dsg...@visi.com> wrote in
> news:Xns9245D0DF4D9...@209.98.98.13:

*SNIP*

> > Checking this out, I found something else: About 77,000 years
> > ago, someone scratched abstract designs into stones. Purpose
> > unknown. Possibilities mentioned by experts quoted in the
> > newspaper story include:
> > rather abstract representations of something in their world
> > numerals
> > writing

*SNIP*

> They do point out that they were found in
> proximity to large amounts of red ochre.

Arrows (red oche available over there).

Mark
"Aisle seven."

Dorothy J Heydt

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Jul 12, 2002, 2:16:38 PM7/12/02

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In article <EeEX8.61689$XK5.142...@news.tor.primus.ca>,

I don't suppose the "abstract designs" could possibly be
just scratch marks from where people were grinding the
ochre?

Dorothy J. Heydt
Albany, California
djh...@kithrup.com
http://www.kithrup.com/~djheydt

Dan Goodman

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Jul 12, 2002, 7:32:35 PM7/12/02

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djh...@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) wrote in news:Gz5Er...@kithrup.com:

In the photos I've seen, they're made up of straight lines crossing each
other X-fashion.