Why are the rock paintings in Botswana’s Tsodilo Hills difficult for archaeologists to interpret?

Archaeologists face challenges in interpreting the hundreds of rock paintings found in the Tsodilo Hills because of historical assumptions regarding their creators.12

For a long time, scholars operated under the premise that these paintings were the exclusive work of "Bushman" (San) hunter-gatherers who lived in total isolation from other groups. However, archaeological evidence—such as the discovery of early farming settlements in the Tsodilo Hills dating to approximately 550 CE—indicates that these hunter-gatherer and pastoralist sites existed alongside [Bantu-speaking farmers]. Because the paintings were once attributed to a population assumed to be remote from all pastoralist and farmer contact, the presence of these other groups complicates the understanding of the art's origins, cultural context, and intended meaning.12