70,000-year-old python cave ritual site discovered in Botswana

April 18, 2026General

Source: 70kya "Oldest Ritual Site" Beliefs Spread with Out of Africa? by Timeless with Fred Snyder

Site mentioned

📍 Python Cave

Sheila Coulson discovered Python Cave in Botswana's Sadillo Hills, revealing a 70,000-year-old ritual site featuring a carved python with cupule scratches for scales. Thousands of spear points and stone tools were intentionally burned and broken as offerings, decommissioned over generations. This is potentially the earliest proof of symbolic behavior and organized ritual among Homo sapiens, located near the Out of Africa migration route. The site aligns remarkably with San bushmen mythology about the great python creator. 🐍⛏️

Key facts

Python Cave is located in the Sadillo Hills, Botswana
Archaeologist Sheila Coulson led the study of this site
The cave features a carved python with man-made cupule scratches representing scales
Thousands of spear points and stone tools were found, some intentionally burned or broken as ritual offerings
Artifacts were ritually decommissioned over many generations
Sheila Coulson suggests this represents the earliest proof of symbolic behavior and organized ritual among Homo sapiens
The site is very near the Out of Africa migration hub
Cross-referenced with living San bushmen mythology about the great python creator