65K Year Old Ochre Paint Found in Australia

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65K Year Old Ochre Paint Found in Australia
// Gurney Journey

Photo by Dominic O Brien/ Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation, Source

Archaeologists in northern Australia have found evidence for paint-making supplies dating back as much as 65 thousand years. This is some of the oldest evidence for human use of reflective paint, and it suggests that art-making was as central to human life as seed-grinding and hatchet-making.

"We found evidence for the mixing of ochre with reflective powders made from ground mica to make a vibrant paint. Currently the oldest known rock art in the world is dated to 40,000 years ago in Sulawesi (a possible stepping stone to Australia). But the abundant ground ochre and use of mica indicates that artistic expression took place in the region much earlier."

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Article: Buried tools and pigments tell a new history of humans in Australia for 65,000 years in The Conversation

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