Mysterious 'comb' drawings may be among oldest cave paintings in South America.

The Huenul Cave in northern Patagonia, Argentina, contains nearly 900 rock art paintings that date back 8,200 years, making them the oldest directly dated rock art paintings in South America. The paintings include comb-shaped motifs that were traced in reddish black pigment and are believed to have been created by small bands of people who periodically visited the cave. The paintings were likely used as a way to maintain ties and exchange information between far-flung groups in the harsh desert landscape. The use of the same pigment recipe and motif over thousands of years suggests the transmission of knowledge over a long term. [Extracted from the article]