A discovery in Maltravieso Cave, located in Extremadura, Spain, has fundamentally challenged long-held beliefs about the origins of human artistic expression.
Researchers have determined that hand stencils in the cave date back over 66,000 years, suggesting that Neanderthals, rather than modern humans, were the world’s first artists. This revelation highlights the advanced cognitive and cultural capabilities of Neanderthals.
The research, conducted by an international team of archaeologists from the University of Southampton and collaborating institutions in Great Britain and Spain, utilized uranium-thorium (U-series) dating to establish the age of the artwork. Their findings, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, confirm that these hand stencils are among the earliest known examples of intentionally created visual art.
Maltravieso Cave contains over 60 red hand stencils, though their exact ages remained uncertain until now. The U-series dating method, applied to the calcium carbonate crusts that formed over the stencils, revealed minimum ages ranging from the Holocene to the Middle Paleolithic period. The oldest samples date back to 66,700 years, while others are approximately 55,200 and 46,600 years old. This indicates that the Neanderthals likely created the stencils.
By analyzing the uranium-to-thorium ratio in calcium carbonate crusts covering ancient cave art, researchers can accurately date the crust. Unlike carbon dating, which is ineffective for mineral-based pigments, U-series dating measures the uranium-to-thorium conversion within calcium carbonate crusts, providing precise minimum ages for the underlying artwork.
Previous discoveries in other Spanish caves, such as La Pasiega, indicated that Neanderthals created symbolic red dot art over 64,800 years ago. Together, these studies build a clearer picture of Neanderthals’ artistic capabilities, challenging the notion that symbolic and creative expression was exclusive to modern humans.
This discovery also raises questions about the evolution of artistic traditions in Europe. The tradition of creating hand stencils in the region predates similar practices elsewhere. For example, hand stencil art in Indonesia’s Leang Timpuseng Cave was dated to 39,900 years ago, while impressions found on the Tibetan Plateau, approximately 200,000 years old, are still debated as to whether they represent deliberate artistic expression or mere traces of human activity.
The findings contribute to a growing body of evidence that Neanderthals engaged in complex behaviors once attributed solely to Homo sapiens. Neanderthals, often stereotyped as brutish and unsophisticated, are increasingly recognized for their symbolic thinking and cultural achievements. These include tool-making, use of pigments, burial practices, and now, the creation of visual art.
The Maltravieso stencils demonstrate that artistic traditions existed in Europe tens of thousands of years before similar practices emerged in other parts of the world. While some of the Maltravieso cave art could have been created by modern humans approximately 6,000 years ago, the findings strongly suggest that Neanderthals pioneered these artistic practices. Variations in moisture and carbonate formation over millennia complicate precise dating of certain images, but the evidence overwhelmingly supports Neanderthal authorship of the oldest artwork.
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