Bible & Archaeology
Antelope Collagen Found In 60,000-year-old Ochre Offers Clues To Early Human Practices
From Phys.org Archaeology · October 21, 2026
A research team from Kyushu University, Universitetet i Bergen, and the University of Copenhagen reported finding traces of ancient collagen protein from the common eland in the Kilpdrift Complex of South Africa. Using paleoproteomics, the team analyzed sediment samples from the Middle and Later Stone Age archaeological site located in the De Hoop Nature Reserve.
The study identified type I collagen proteins, which researchers say suggests that animal-derived materials were either deliberately mixed with the ochre or that ochre-treated eland hides were present at the site. According to the researchers, this provides biomolecular evidence of animal-derived materials being associated with ochre use during the Middle Stone Age.
The findings demonstrate that paleoproteomics can successfully recover and identify ancient proteins from archaeological sediments, even in environments where ancient DNA rarely survives. The researchers noted that this method could allow archaeologists to investigate biological materials that are no longer visible in the archaeological record.
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