Science · Research & investigation
Christopher S. Henshilwood
Archaeologist of early human material culture
Also known as Christopher Henshilwood
Who they are
Christopher S. Henshilwood coauthored the study of an ochre-marked silcrete flake from Blombos Cave in South Africa. The 2018 analysis argued that its intersecting lines were intentionally drawn and placed the find within roughly 73,000-year-old archaeological levels. This is evidence of deliberate mark-making; the design’s meaning is not known.
His work contributes an archaeological example of early human drawing to the timeline’s account of human capabilities.
Selected contributions
- Coauthored the analysis identifying deliberate ochre drawing on the Blombos flake.Source ↗
Selected works
Academic paper · 2018 · Peer-reviewed article; linked author manuscript
An abstract drawing from the 73,000-year-old levels at Blombos Cave, South Africa
The authors analyze red lines on a silcrete flake from Blombos Cave and argue that they were deliberately drawn with ochre. The work concerns a roughly 73,000-year-old artifact; the meaning of the design remains unknown.
Reading scope & citation
Reused prior inspected evidence: Downloaded manuscript; visually inspected PDF pages 2–3 because body text was rasterised. Relevant captions and available extracted text inspected; not a complete independent methods review. Reuses documented prior inspection: Downloaded manuscript; visually inspected PDF pages 2–3 because body text was rasterised. Relevant captions and available extracted text inspected; not a complete independent methods review. Reuses the input’s documented prior inspection: Downloaded manuscript; visually inspected PDF pages 2–3 because body text was rasterised. Relevant captions and available extracted text inspected; not a complete independent methods review. No fresh full-work reread in this directory pass.
In the timeline
- c. 73,000 years agoAn ochre drawing at Blombos Cave
Biography sources
- An abstract drawing from the 73,000-year-old levels at Blombos Cave, South Africa ↗Nature; author manuscript at HAL