Paintings from 65,000 yrs ago attributed to Neanderthal

[Judi Lynn]

Found in south of Spain; confirmed by new study
03 AUGUST, 17:32

(ANSAmed) - MADRID, 03 AGO - The oldest cave paintings currently known were created by the Neanderthal species, which is closely linked to Homo sapiens, according to a new scientific study published Tuesday in the journal PNAS.

The hypothesis that Neanderthal had painted before modern human beings was made in 2018 in a study on paintings at three archaeological sites in Spain.

However, the thesis was contested by part of the scientific community, with the argument that the paintings may have been stains of natural origin and not the work of humans.

The study published Tuesday, carried out by a team of international experts and reported in various media outlets, claims that more detailed surveys and analyses on the red-coloured paintings of one of these three archaeological sites, Cueva de Ardales cave in Andalusia, confirm the first hypothesis, that the paintings were made by Neanderthal at least 64,800 years ago, therefore at least 20,000 years before Homo sapiens was present in Europe.

More:
https://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2021/08/03/paintings-from-65000-yrs-ago-attributed-to-neanderthal_5b28e44f-ab60-4ce2-8536-dabe8f525806.html?idPhoto=1