South Africa discovery reveals first recorded stenciled rock art

Archaeologists have discovered two small human figures, measuring approximately nine centimeters in height, at the La Rochelle rock shelter in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. The discovery, detailed in the South African Archaeological Bulletin, reveals the use of a stenciling technique previously undocumented in the region.

Researchers David G. Pearce from the University of the Witwatersrand and Kiah Johnson from the University of Cambridge suggest the figures were created by blowing or splashing paint over a template. While southern African rock art is known for fine brushwork and finger painting, this specific stenciling method had no prior published record in the area.

The figures were located near Carolina in the Mpumalanga Highlands. Despite the site being studied in 1995 and 2020, these particular representations remained unnoticed until now. The researchers noted that the figures appear as patches of bare rock surrounded by red paint with a halo of fine specks, characteristic of the stenciling process.