Photograph courtesy Science/AAAS The abalone shell, after it was
removed for analysis. Photograph courtesy Science/AAAS Published
October 13, 2011 A coating of bright red powder on the insides
of a pair of 100,000-year-old abalone shells is evidence of the
oldest known art workshop, a new study says. The powder was
found inside two shells in Blombos Cave near Still Bay, South
Africa (map). The substance is the dried remains of a primitive
form of paint made by combining colorful clay called ochre,
crushed seal bones, charcoal, quartzite chips, and a liquid,
such as water. "A round [stone] covered the opening of one of
the shells, and underneath it was absolutely bright red," said
study leader Christopher Henshilwood, an archaeologist at the
University of Bergen in Norway and the University of the
Witwatersrand in South Africa. In addition to the shells, the
team also found grindstones, hammerstones, the remains of a
small fire pit, and animal bones that were used to transfer
small amounts of the paint. Blombo