Detail map of Cathedral Hill, Lusaka, Lusaka Province, Zambia Overview map of Cathedral Hill, Lusaka, Lusaka Province, Zambia

A: Cathedral Hill, Lusaka, Lusaka Province, Zambia

The Earliest Use of Pigments

Circa 400000 to 350000 BCE
From Zikpkin, Brooks, Hanchar, Toth and Schick, The Preferential Collection and Use of Ochre Pigments and Iron Ores at Twin Rivers Kopje, Zambia.

From Zikpkin, Brooks, Hanchar, Toth and Schick, The Preferential Collection and Use of Ochre Pigments and Iron Ores at Twin Rivers Kopje, Zambia.

Naturally occurring pigments such as ochres and iron oxides, and lapis lazuli were used as colorants since prehistoric times. In 2006 archaeologists uncovered evidence that early humans used paint for aesthetic purposes such as body decoration. Pigments and paint grinding equipment believed to be between 350,000 and 400,000 years old were reported in a cave at Twin Rivers, near Lusaka, Zambia.

Timeline Themes