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The Ādam Paradox Hypothesis 110
Figure 11.3 — Reconstruction of hafted stone point using compound adhesive from Sibudu Cave
(after Wadley, 2007).
This reconstruction shows a stone point hafted into a wooden
shaft using a compound adhesive (plant gum + red ochre) and
binding materials. The artifact and residues indicate
sophisticated cognitive and technological behavior in Middle
Stone Age Homo sapiens circa 70,000 years ago.
Taken together, Pinnacle Point, Blombos, Diepkloof, and Sibudu show that
African populations were experimenting with symbols and technologies long
before the global ignition. Sparks were present. But until ~70 ka, they
lacked permanence.
The Levant: Burials and Silences
The Levantine caves of Qafzeh and Skhul are haunting. Their burials speak of
dignity and loss — yet also of fragility.
At Qafzeh, near Nazareth, Bernard Vandermeersch uncovered the burial of a
child placed in a pit and covered with ochre. Around the skeleton were pierced
marine shells transported from the coast over 40 kilometers away. Microscopic
analysis revealed deliberate perforations and pigment stains. Vanhaeren and
d’Errico concluded: “The use of pierced shells, stained with red pigment and placed in
burials, demonstrates symbolic expression and personal ornamentation in the Levant by ~100
ka.
” (Vanhaeren & d’Errico, 2006, p. 1783).