Image: Wim Lustenhouwer / Stephen Munro
Oldest Abstract Artwork Ever Found
A shell discovered in the 1890s in Trinil, Indonesia by Dutch geologist Eugene Dubois, is the oldest piece of abstract artwork ever found. Meticulous dating of the shell by geologists shows that it would have been made by the species Homo erectus, who existed before our own species evolved.
Clam Shell & Shark’s Tooth
The abstract artwork on the clam shell consists of a zig-zag made by using a sharks tooth. With the way the design was made, it was determined that it was done by a right handed individual. The clam shell was one of many found by Dubois on the river bank in Java, which ended up in a museum in Netherlands for over a century before the artwork was discovered.
Curious Australian Student
Australian PhD student Stephen Munro visited the collection and took multiple photos of it to study when he got back home. He noticed different points of interest on the shells which led to further investigations on the collection.
Jurovich Surveying
Luckily nowadays we don’t have to use shark’s teeth to display our work to clients. State of the art technology means it’s quickly compiled in a digital format for easy access. For any residential, commercial or large scale infrastructure surveying inquiries, please contact us.
And if you are interested, here’s some amazing sand art.
Read more about this shell art discovery in the New Scientist.
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