Ancient cave paintings depicting eland antelopes near Citrusdal, Western Cape, South Africa. Southern African rock art has been dated to be up to 28, 000 years old. The San people, also known as the Bushmen, created rock art for various purposes, including religious, ceremonial, and cultural reasons. The paintings most commonly depict animal scenes, and it is thought that particular animals such as the eland, have important symbolic religious meanings. Humans are also commonly depicted, often in procession, hunting or out gathering food. |