Abstract
This comprehensive review of all currently known Pleistocene rock art of Africa shows that the majority of sites are located in the continent’s south, but that the petroglyphs at some of them are of exceptionally great antiquity. Much the same applies to portable palaeoart of Africa. The current record is clearly one of paucity of evidence, in contrast to some other continents. Nevertheless, an initial synthesis is attempted, and some preliminary comparisons with the other continents are attempted. Certain parallels with the existing record of southern Asia are defined.
Highlights
Palaeoart of the Pleistocene occurs in at least five continents (Bednarik 1992a, 2003a)[38,49], most people tend to think of Europe first when the topic is mentioned
Fauresmith levels of Wonderwerk Cave, materials that have been collected a considerable distance from the site. Another feature provisionally attributed to the Fauresmith industries are the oldest currently known rock art sites of Africa, at Potholes Hoek and Nchwaneng in the southern Kalahari, South Africa (Beaumont & Bednarik 2012a, 2013) [25,27]
An important series of southern African palaeoart finds of the Early Middle Stone Age (EMSA) are the incised lines and notches on stone objects reported from several sites
Summary
Palaeoart of the Pleistocene occurs in at least five continents (Bednarik 1992a, 2003a)[38,49], most people tend to think of Europe first when the topic is mentioned. Another feature provisionally attributed to the Fauresmith industries are the oldest currently known rock art sites of Africa, at Potholes Hoek and Nchwaneng in the southern Kalahari, South Africa (Beaumont & Bednarik 2012a, 2013) [25,27].
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