11,000 B.C. - Egyptian Rock Art - "Rock art in the El-Hosh area of Upper Egypt has been firmly dated to at least 8,000 years old, making it the oldest artwork ever recorded in the Nile Valley. One of the samples, taken from a typical 'fish-trap' design, gave a radiocarbon date of about 5,900 to 5,300 B.C. This date provides a minimum-age estimate for the petroglyphs. It is estimated that the curvilinear designs are between 13,000 and 8,000 years old, well beyond the age of any other graphic activity known in the Nile Valley." [Link? Source?]11,000 B.C. - Cave Art / France - "Archaeologists have discovered 13,000-year-old cave paintings that suggest prehistoric children were taught to draw by their parents. [NP] Researchers at the University of Cambridge have been able to match the pictures of mammoths, horses and other animals to individual children based on the size of the markings. [NP] Line decorations, created by a technique called finger fluting, also appear throughout the five-mile cavern network in Rouffignac, France. [NP] Some of the flutings appear high up on the walls and ceilings, suggesting the children sat on their parents' shoulders as they drew. [NP] Archaeologist Jess Cooney said: 'Flutings made by children appear in every chamber throughout the caves - even those that are a good 45-minutes' walk from the entrance. So far, we haven't found anywhere that adults fluted without children. [NP] 'In addition to the simple meandering lines, there are flutings of animals and shapes that appear to be very crude outlines of faces, almost cartoon-like in appearance.' [NP] Archaeologists first realised that children were creating the art in 2006. [....]"
[Based on: Sky NEWS article (Cave art dates back 13,000 years)
Updated: 20:52, Tuesday October 4, 2011]
*Link: http://www.skynews.com.au/offbeat/article.aspx?id=669235&vId=
