Monday, July 25, 2011

Walking Mammoth: America's Earliest Known Art


Experts in the field assumed it was fake but after passing through a barrage of tests University of Florida forensic scientists believe that the etched image of a walking mammoth carved into fossilized bone is America’s oldest known piece of artwork.

Walking Mammoth, Fossilized bone, 11,000 BCE
photo: National Geographic

Fossil hunter James Kennedy had the 15-inch fossil in a box under his sink for a few years before, when cleaning it up, he noticed an image carved into the bone. Some 13,000 years ago when gigantic beasts roamed what is now Florida a nomadic ice age hunter carved this image of a walking mammoth. What is remarkable is that no other such artifacts have been found. With this discovery no doubt some very old bones will garner a closer look.

 Movie Still, 10,000 BC, 2008

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1 comment:

  1. WOW! It's not even a flat stick drawing like what I would imagine, it's like how someone would draw today.

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