A prehistoric clump of pigment found near an ancient lake in England may be one of the cosmos ’s honest-to-god crayons , Colossalreports . The small object made of red ochre was hear during an archaeological excavation nearLake Flixton , a prehistoric lake that has since become a peat wetland but was once reside by Mesolithic Orion - gatherers . Though it ’s hard to date the wax crayon itself , it was find in a bed of earth dating back to the 7th millennium BCE , according to arecent studyby University of York archeologist .
measure less than an column inch long , the small-arm of pigment is sharpened at one end , and its shape indicates that it was modify by a someone and used extensively as a tool , not shaped by nature . The part " look precisely like a crayon , " bailiwick author Andy Needham of the University of York said in apress release .
The fine grooves and striations on the wax crayon suggest that it was used as a drawing tool , and indicate that it might have been rubbed against a granulose surface ( like a tilt ) . Other research has found that ochre was hoard and used wide by prehistoric hunter - gatherers like the ones who endure near Lake Flixton , bolstering the hypothesis that it was used as a tool .
The research worker also find another , pebble - shaped fragment of red ochre at a nearby website , which was scrape so heavily that it became concave , indicating that it might have been used to extract the paint as a red powder .
" The pebble and wax crayon were located in an field already rich in art , " Needham said . " It is potential there could have been an artistic use for these objects , perhaps for coloring creature skin or for function in decorative artwork . "
[ h / tColossal ]
