If the stones in this article simply were used for grinding ocher to make powder, would not the grinder rough up the surface to make it a better grindstone? The marks may be nothing more than primitive knurls. Rather than art, this looks like a tool to me, not different in principle from flaked flint.
How does that interpretation, which doesn’t involve symbolism, push back abstract thought?
W.W. Varnedoe Jr. Huntsville, Ala.
Log in
Subscribers, enter your e-mail address for full access to the Science News archives and digital editions.