I don't know why everyone is so surprised at ancient beginnings of human abstract thought:-http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22029440.400-arts-early-dawn-when-intelligence-really-began.html?page=1#.VOo36mA5C1s-
'Their blistering criticisms spurred others to look far and wide for the origins of symbolic thought, and in the last 10 years many old finds have been reappraised and new ones uncovered. Among the more notable discoveries are ostrich shells from the Diepkloof rock shelter in South Africa engraved with five distinct geometric patterns that are at least 52,000 years old. Collections of seashells in Qafzeh cave, Israel, and the Grotte des Pigeons in Morocco, meanwhile, show that modern humans were already collecting personal ornaments 80,000 years ago. And in one of the few finds in Asia, some jewellery from Zhoukoudian upper cave near Beijing, China, may be 34,000 years old, again suggesting that groups across the world were experimenting with different ways of communicating and decorating themselves.-
"It's even possible that more distant relatives were budding artists. In Israel, for instance, researchers unearthed the 230,000 year old Berekhat Ram figurine, which appears to resemble the so-called Venus figurines carved in Europe some 30,000 years ago. The statue is crude, and could be nothing more than a conveniently shaped pebble, though some microscopic analyses suggest there was deliberate carving around the neck to sculpt it into the right proportions. If so, the timing and location suggests it was the handiwork of H. erectus. While the idea remains contentious, there are rumours that we might soon see some more dramatic evidence of symbolic behaviour in this extinct ancestor."