Book contents
- World Archaeoprimatology
- Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology
- World Archaeoprimatology
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- World Archaeoprimatology
- Part I The Americas
- Part II Europe
- Part III Africa
- 11 Primate Behavior in Ancient Egypt
- 12 The Nonhuman Primate Remains from the Baboon Catacomb at Saqqara in Egypt
- 13 Primates in South African Rock Art
- 14 Citizens of the Savanna
- 15 Lemur Hunting in Madagascar’s Present and Past
- Part IV Asia
- Index
- References
13 - Primates in South African Rock Art
The Interconnections between Humans and Baboons
from Part III - Africa
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 August 2022
Book contents
- World Archaeoprimatology
- Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology
- World Archaeoprimatology
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- World Archaeoprimatology
- Part I The Americas
- Part II Europe
- Part III Africa
- 11 Primate Behavior in Ancient Egypt
- 12 The Nonhuman Primate Remains from the Baboon Catacomb at Saqqara in Egypt
- 13 Primates in South African Rock Art
- 14 Citizens of the Savanna
- 15 Lemur Hunting in Madagascar’s Present and Past
- Part IV Asia
- Index
- References
Summary
South Africa is richly endowed with rock art, with three specific rock art traditions having been identified. This chapter is based on one of those rock art traditions, most specifically, the Bushmen rock art. There are many motifs made by Bushmen, ranging from animals, human figures, to schematic images. For the purpose of this chapter, I focus on the representation of primates in the rock art made by these peoples. Chacma baboons (Papio ursinus), as the other primates represented in the rock art, are not found in large quantities. Even in locations where they are relatively well represented, their numbers are still much lower than other animals that were incorporated into rock art imagery. Furthermore, I address three other aspects. First, to provide evidence that shows that some of the baboon features were incorporated into human figures to produce what are known as therianthropic images, that is, half-human and half-animal images. Second, to explore how the representation and significance of baboons have been understood by scholars over the years. Third, to examine their geographical distribution in southern African rock art.
Keywords:
Primates, Baboons, Therianthropes, Rock Art Traditions, Shaman, Bushmen
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- World ArchaeoprimatologyInterconnections of Humans and Nonhuman Primates in the Past, pp. 354 - 374Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022
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