One of the earliest kinds of art was rock art. It can be found in many different countries in Africa. In Botswana, a country in southern Africa, there are over 4,500 rock paintings from thousands of years ago. The rocks in Botswana’s Tsodilo Hills are decorated with rock art. Tsodilo Hills are rocky caves in the Kalahari Desert. Archeologists believe that people have been living in the Tsodilo Hills for more than 100,000 years. During this time, people left drawings on the rocks. These drawings have left clues about what life was like in the past.
Animals and hunting are the main subjects of these rock drawings. For example, one of the most famous caves in Tsodilo Hills is called Rhino Cave. On the walls of this cave, there is a painting of a white rhino. There is also a painting of a red giraffe right next to the rhino. These two animals were not drawn by the same artist, however. Archeologists believe that the white rhino was painted by the Bantu people. Archeologists think that the red giraffe was painted by the San people. The Rhino Cave shows that different ethnic groups, the Bantu and the San, had once lived in the Tsodilo Hills.
The Tsodilo Hills have the most rock paintings in the world. Archaeologists believe that many people drew on the rocks because the Tsodilo Hills protected them from the Kalahari Desert. This desert was hot and dry. The caves in Tsodilo Hills gave them a break from the desert’s harsh weather. Many different groups of people made these rock caves their homes. On the rocks, they made art. This rock art now brings many tourists to Botswana. Would you want to visit Tsodilo Hills to see the rock paintings?
