170,000 years ago, modern humans, those with the capacity for symbolic thought, inhabited a coastal cave about 30 km from South Africa.  Archaeological research has revealed the massive use of shellfish, particularly sea ears, from the adjacent kelp forests, the shells of which were then used to powder red ochre, which they are said to have used to decorate their bodies.  

This image is reproduced across the planet and through the ages to reach, without us being aware of it, our own time and our own society.