Eland Protein in 60,000-Year-Old South African Ochre Reveals Early Human Practices

Key points

• A team from Kyushu University, the University of Bergen, and the University of Copenhagen identified type I collagen from the common eland (Taurotragus oryx) in sediment samples from Klipdrift Shelter.
• The ochre layer, part of the Howiesons Poort sequence, measures over one meter long, 40 centimeters wide, and up to one centimeter thick.
• Palaeoproteomics was used to extract proteins from soil, as DNA rarely survives in warm African climates, making protein analysis a crucial alternative for identifying ancient species.
• The presence of eland protein suggests either deliberate mixing of animal material with ochre or the treatment of eland hides with the pigment at the site.
• The eland holds significant symbolic importance in San mythology, though the authors caution that a single finding does not yet prove ritual use in the Middle Stone Age.

Background

This discovery builds on broader efforts to understand early human behavior in southern Africa, where ochre use is often linked to modern human cognition. Previous studies in the region have focused on genetic and archaeological evidence of human migration and adaptation, but protein analysis offers a new avenue for studying organic residues in ancient sediments.

Why it matters

The finding demonstrates that palaeoproteomics can recover species-specific information from sediments, expanding the toolkit for archaeologists beyond bones and teeth. It provides rare direct evidence of organic matter in ancient ochre deposits, potentially reshaping our understanding of symbolic behavior and resource use in the Middle Stone Age.

What to watch

The research team plans to apply similar palaeoproteomic methods to other Middle Stone Age sites to determine if eland protein is a recurring element in ochre use, which could confirm the animal's symbolic or practical significance over tens of thousands of years.