WROCŁAW, POLAND—According to a Science in Poland report, Marta Osypińska of the University of Wrocław and Piotr Osypiński of the Polish Academy of Sciences have identified 30 archaeological sites in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. On the southern end of the park, the researchers found previously unknown paintings on the walls of two rock shelters. The images, drawn with ocher, powdered bone, and coal, include Masai shields, human figures, and both domesticated and wild animals. One of the shelters contained a deposit of arranged animal bones, in addition to scorch marks, pottery fragments, and stone tools. Human remains were found in the second shelter. “This place may be associated with the burials of ancient shepherds,” Marta Osypińska suggested. “They practically did not bury the dead, they symbolically left their remains for animals; there are indications that they could have left them in such caves,” she added. Many of the newly discovered archaeological sites are in danger from construction and tourism, the researchers explained. To read about the earliest known bone point from Tanzania's Olduvai Gorge, go to "The Bone Collector."
