Ancient crayon of
Mesolithic origin.
What might you have drawn?
It can be easy to attribute modern interpretations to objects found in ancient archaeological sites. Objects found in North Yorkshire, UK, were tested by Needham et al (2018) using microscopy and spectroscopy and were revealed to contain ochre – an important mineral pigment used by prehistoric hunter-gathers across the world.
One piece in particular was shaped a little like a modern crayon, a long cylindrical object with a pointed end, four edges and elongate grooves running in parallel down its the length. Both the wear and the shape of the item are not consistent with the natural crystal habits of haematite, suggesting the shape is a result of anthropogenic working and could have been a drawing tool.
Original research: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.12.002