MSCA TaphArt Project - Photographs and videos of the fieldworks carried out in the Blombos cave area (South Africa) - January 2024

Data collected in the framework of the MSCA project “TaphArt: exploring the potential existence of rock art paintings in the Middle Stone Age of southern Africa and its destruction due to the action of taphonomic processes” (Grant Agreement No. 101109977, EC signature date: 7 April 2023; start date: 1 September 2023; end date: 31 August 2025). The project is funded by the European Union under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) of the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, The project investigates the possible absence of Middle Stone Age rock art in southern Africa—specifically at Blombos Cave—and whether it is the result of taphonomic processes rather than cultural choices. It adopts an innovative, interdisciplinary approach drawing on archaeology, paleoenvironmental science, atmospheric science, material science, and analytical chemistry This dataset includes a collection of photographs and videos captured during fieldwork to gather raw materials for accelerated aging experiments. Fieldwork was conducted in the area of Blombos Cave (South Africa) by Dr Neemias Santos da Rosa, in collaboration with geologist Pieter-Jan Grabe. All photographs and videos are authored by Dr Neemias Santos da Rosa.