Drakensburg Mountain cave art in South Africa

Photo: courtesy of National Geographic

Beautiful ancient cave art is found not only in Europe but in many other places.

This representation of an eland, in the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa, was taken in 2001 for a National Geographic article entitled "Paintings of the Spirit: Rock Art Opens a New Window into a Bushman World."

Paintings such as this, reports National Geographic, were painted by the ancient San, or Bushmen, not only to pay homage to great animals, but to harness their spirits as well.

Ancient cave paintings are found in Somalia, Egypt, and Jordan and also in India, Australia, China, and South America, although sadly, some of these sites are under threat since they are not being protected or preserved.

How fascinating it is that this art form was shared by so many cultural groups of our human ancestors.