A trio of German archaeologists commissioned three indigenous trackers from southern Africa to analyze hundreds of animal track engravings made by Late Stone Age (25,000 to 3,000 BC) hunter-gatherers in the Doro Nawas mountains of west-central Namibia. Amazingly, these experts were able to extract an extraordinary amount of data from these images, including the species, sex, age and exact leg of the animals whose footprints were recreated in this unique collection of ancient African rock art .
Notably, studies of animal tracks found in other parts of Namibia have not revealed the presence of markers that could disclose such details.
“The analyses reveal patterns that evidently arise from culturally determined preferences,” the archaeologists wrote in an article about their research appearing in PLOS One . “The study represents further confirmation that indigenous knowledge, with its profound insights into a range of particular fields, has the capacity to considerably advance archaeological research.
The Flourishing of Footprint Artistry in Late Stone Age Namibia
The hunter-gatherer peoples of Late Stone Age Namibia were rock art aficionados. Their skilled artists carved thousands of images into rock faces across the region. While the usual depictions of animals and geometric figures were included, the ancient people of Namibia were especially dedicated and proficient when carving lifelike images of animal tracks from a wide range of species.
Detail of Stone Age depictions of human…
