Ancient Mystery Unveiled: 8,000-Year-Old Drawings Found Within a Two-Billion-Year-Old Crater Challenge History
A team of international scientists has been working to examine the crater’s geological influences on the surrounding area and now believe that the crater is not only a site for geological and planetary significance but also for understanding the region’s first population of humans.
Newsweek reported that the carvings found in the section of the Vredefort Dome known as the “Rain Snake” depict a hippo, a horse, and a rhino — all animals that were commonly found in the area some 8,000 years ago. Researchers established that the markings were the handwork of the Khoi-San, South Africa’s “First Peoples.” The drawings are believed to have served a role in rain-making ceremonies.
“As scientists, we recognize the special nature of the impact crater, but it was also recognized by ancient inhabitants of the area,” said Matthew Huber, a geographer at the University of the Free State in South Africa.
Huber added that since the markings were considered a significant archaeological finding, he and his colleagues have enlisted the help of local archaeologists to uncover “exactly what was done at these sites and how it influenced the people that were there.”
University of the Free StateThe Granophyre Dykes of the Vredefort Crater where the markings were found.
The ancient carvings appear on the exterior of stone structures inside the crater area known as The Granophyre Dykes, which stretches six miles long and 16 feet wide and formed after impact.
The 8,000-year-old markings appear faded on the dyke’s red stone surface yet still clearly depict the shape of the region’s animals. Interestingly enough, the dyke itself had formed a shape similar to that of a rain snake deity, an important figure in Khoi-San culture with powers to summon rain.
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