What are blombos cave artifacts?

The Blombos Cave artifacts are like ancient treasures hidden in a cave, made by people who lived thousands of years ago.

Imagine you're playing with colored pencils and drawing on paper. Now imagine someone from long, long ago did something similar but with shells and ochre, which is a kind of red or yellow paint they used. They carved symbols into little pieces of shell, just like how you might draw your favorite animal in the corner of your notebook. These are called engravings.

These engraved shells were found in a cave named Blombos Cave, which is in what is now South Africa. The people who lived there used them as if they were little drawing books, maybe to keep track of time, or to show stories, just like how you might draw pictures to remember your day.

They also made pretty decorations with ochre, kind of like using glitter or stickers on a drawing. These decorations might have been used for special events or even as part of clothing!

These artifacts are not only cool to look at but help us understand what early humans were thinking and doing, just like your drawings tell others about your world. The Blombos Cave artifacts are like ancient treasures hidden in a cave, made by people who lived thousands of years ago.

Imagine you're playing with colored pencils and drawing on paper. Now imagine someone from long, long ago did something similar but with shells and ochre, which is a kind of red or yellow paint they used. They carved symbols into little pieces of shell, just like how you might draw your favorite animal in the corner of your notebook. These are called engravings.