https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.01.543133v1 Skip to main content bioRxiv * Home * About * Submit * ALERTS / RSS Search for this keyword [ ] [Search] Advanced Search New Results 241,000 to 335,000 Years Old Rock Engravings Made by Homo naledi in the Rising Star Cave system, South Africa View ORCID ProfileLee R. Berger, John Hawks, Agustin Fuentes, Dirk van Rooyen, Mathabela Tsikoane, Maropeng Ramalepa, Samuel Nkwe, Keneiloe Molopyane doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.06.01.543133 Lee R. Berger 1th, Washington DC, 20036 2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa 3The Carnegie Institution for Science, 5241 Broad Branch Road NW Washington D.C. 20015 * Find this author on Google Scholar * Find this author on PubMed * Search for this author on this site * ORCID record for Lee R. Berger John Hawks 4Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin, Madison; 5240 Sewell Social Sciences Building, 1180 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI, USA 53706 2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa * Find this author on Google Scholar * Find this author on PubMed * Search for this author on this site Agustin Fuentes 5Department of Anthropology, Princeton University; 123 Aaron Burr Hall, Princeton USA 08455 2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa * Find this author on Google Scholar * Find this author on PubMed * Search for this author on this site Dirk van Rooyen 2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa * Find this author on Google Scholar * Find this author on PubMed * Search for this author on this site Mathabela Tsikoane 2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa * Find this author on Google Scholar * Find this author on PubMed * Search for this author on this site Maropeng Ramalepa 2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa * Find this author on Google Scholar * Find this author on PubMed * Search for this author on this site Samuel Nkwe 2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa * Find this author on Google Scholar * Find this author on PubMed * Search for this author on this site Keneiloe Molopyane 2Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa * Find this author on Google Scholar * Find this author on PubMed * Search for this author on this site * Abstract * Full Text * Info/History * Metrics * Preview PDF Loading Abstract The production of painted, etched or engraved designs on cave walls or other surfaces is recognized as a major cognitive step in human evolution. Such intentional designs, which are widely interpreted as signifying, recording, and transmitting information in a durable manner were once considered exclusive to Late Pleistocene Homo sapiens. Recent work has demonstrated that other hominin groups also made such marks, including Neanderthals (Rodriguez-Vidal et al., 2014 ; Hoffmann et al., 2018), and possibly Middle-Pleistocene Homo erectus (Joordens et al., 2015). Such durable signs indicate an intentionality characteristic of meaning-making (Kissel and Fuentes 2018) which has been argued to require significant levels of cognitive abilities not found in species with smaller brain sizes ( Parkington, 2010). In fact, the evolution of such meaning-making symbols is thought to be a core aspect of what it means to be "human" (Henshilwood, 2009). Here we present the first known example of abstract patterns and shapes engraved within the Dinaledi subsystem of the Rising Star Cave in South Africa. We identified markings incised into the dolomitic limestone walls of the cave. The engravings described here are deeply impressed cross-hatchings and other geometric shapes. The surfaces bearing these engravings appear to have been prepared and smoothed. In some areas there is residue that creates a sheen on the surface possibly indicating repeated handling or rubbing of the rock, and there is evidence of the application of dirt or sand to the surface by non-natural processes. Homo naledi entered this part of the cave system and buried bodies within the both the Dinaledi Chamber and adjacent Hill Antechamber between 241 and 335 ka (Dirks et al., 2017; Robbins et al., 2021, Berger et al, 2023a). The engravings described here are found on a pillar in the Hill Antechamber that extends into the natural fissure corridor that links the two chambers and we associate them with H. naledi. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Copyright The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. View the discussion thread. Back to top PreviousNext Posted June 05, 2023. Download PDF Email Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv. NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article. Your Email * [ ] Your Name * [ ] Send To * [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas. You are going to email the following 241,000 to 335,000 Years Old Rock Engravings Made by Homo naledi in the Rising Star Cave system, South Africa Message Subject (Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv Message Body (Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website. 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Berger, John Hawks, Agustin Fuentes, Dirk van Rooyen, Mathabela Tsikoane, Maropeng Ramalepa, Samuel Nkwe, Keneiloe Molopyane bioRxiv 2023.06.01.543133; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/ 2023.06.01.543133 Citation Manager Formats * BibTeX * Bookends * EasyBib * EndNote (tagged) * EndNote 8 (xml) * Medlars * Mendeley * Papers * RefWorks Tagged * Ref Manager * RIS * Zotero * Tweet Widget * Facebook Like * Google Plus One Subject Area * Evolutionary Biology Subject Areas All Articles * Animal Behavior and Cognition (4413) * Biochemistry (9663) * Bioengineering (7150) * Bioinformatics (25022) * Biophysics (12721) * Cancer Biology (10037) * Cell Biology (14462) * Clinical Trials (138) * Developmental Biology (8018) * Ecology (12190) * Epidemiology (2067) * Evolutionary Biology (16061) * Genetics (10984) * Genomics (14830) * Immunology (9942) * Microbiology (23821) * Molecular Biology (9538) * Neuroscience (51242) * Paleontology (372) * Pathology (1557) * Pharmacology and Toxicology (2705) * Physiology (4053) * Plant Biology (8725) * Scientific Communication and Education (1516) * Synthetic Biology (2420) * Systems Biology (6482) * Zoology (1356)