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Oldest Neanderthal cave carvings ever discovered in France – and they date back 75,000 YEARS
Strange markings hidden in a French cave for up to 75,000 years have been identified as the oldest known engravings made by Neanderthals.
The markings, known as finger grooves, may provide important information about artistic expression in the ancient human relative, experts say.
A team from the University of Tours analyzed traces found on a wall in the La Roche-Cotard cave in France’s Centre-Val de Loire region.
These included long lines, dashes and dots found at various points in the cave.
They created 3D models of the markings to compare them to similar human-made markings.
Strange marks left by Neanderthals between 57,000 and 75,000 years ago have been discovered in a French cave
A team from the University of Tours analyzed traces found on a wall in the La Roche-Cotard cave in France’s Centre-Val de Loire region
Based on the shape, spacing and arrangement of these carvings, the team concluded they were intentional, organized and intentional shapes created by Neanderthal fingers making indentations on a soft surface.
By analyzing sediment found at the site, they found that the cave had closed about 57,000 years ago when rocks and debris filled it.
In the journal Plos One, the team writes that this “finger whistling” dates back to long before Homo sapiens settled in the region.
This, combined with the fact that stone tools in the cave are associated with Neanderthals, is strong evidence that these carvings are the work of Neanderthals, they said.
By studying rock strata, they said the carvings could have been made as far back as 75,000 years ago.
These included long lines, dashes and dots found at various points in the cave
Based on the shape, spacing and arrangement of these carvings, the team concluded that they are intentional, organized and intentional shapes created by Neanderthal fingers making indentations on a soft surface.
By studying rock strata, they said the carvings could have been made even 75,000 years ago
These drawings are almost 40,000 years older than previously found etchings in caves
Because the carvings are not of an animal or object, the intent behind them is unclear, the researchers said.
But they are the same age as other cave carvings made by early humans in other parts of the world.
The team said their findings add to a growing body of evidence that Neanderthal behavior and activities were as complex and diverse as those of our own ancestors.
The authors said: ‘Fifteen years after the resumption of excavations at the La Roche-Cotard site, the engravings have been dated to more than 57,000 years ago and, thanks to stratigraphy, probably to about 75,000 years ago, making this the oldest decorated cave in the world. world. France, if not Europe.’
Previous finds of Neanderthal carvings include a rock carving discovered in Gibraltar dating back more than 39,000 years and a 51,000-year-old engraved deer bone.