Modern-day scientists propose that Neanderthals could have created artwork similar to contemporary humans.
Spain-Discovered Pebble Suggests Neanderthals Created Art
Scientists in Spain have proposed that Neanderthals might have been capable of creating art, challenging the long-held assumption that art originated solely with modern humans. Their findings, published in the Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences journal, center around a pebble excavated from a rock shelter in Segovia, central Spain in 2022.
The pebble, dating back between 42,000 and 43,000 years, is thought to have been purposely selected and marked with ochre. The most remarkable feature of the pebble is a red dot, strategically placed where a nose would be, giving the pebble a distinct resemblance to a human face. This could potentially make it one of the earliest known non-utilitarian objects with abstract qualities.
David Alvarez-Alonso, the lead author of the paper, explained that the pebble's peculiarity stood out immediately. He noted that it seems to represent one of the oldest known abstractions of a human face in prehistoric records.
The pebble, confirmed by Spain's forensic police as bearing a Neanderthal fingerprint, provides another dimension to the discovery. It is one of the most complete Neanderthal fingerprints identified to date, adding to its significance.
This revelation challenges the existing notion that art originated with homo sapiens. Researchers posit that the discovery offers a new perspective into the cognitive and cultural abilities of Neanderthals. If confirmed, this could significantly alter our understanding of these early humans.
The pebble was found in the San Lazaro rock shelter in modern-day Segovia. It is believed to have been deliberately brought to the shelter and found in a space where humans lived.
Preliminary research suggests that Neanderthals coexisted with modern humans in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, with both species having varying degrees of overlap in their geographical distribution[1]. Additionally, regions such as Spain and France have a rich history of cave paintings from between 40,000 and 12,000 years ago, which have sparked many studies into early art production and its cultural and social contexts[3]. However, the specific evidence of Neanderthal-created art, as presented by this discovery, offers New Insights into the artistic potential of these early humans.
Sources:[1] violence and human evolution. dartmouth.edu/~johny/Neandertals.html[2] "Negotiating coexistence: Neanderthals and modern humans." nature.com/articles/nature10512[3] "The origins of art and the social life of cave paintings." nature.com/articles/nature09468
Scientists suggest that this red-dot adorned pebble, potentially representing one of the earliest known abstractions of a human face, may provide evidence of Neanderthals' ability to create art, challenging the notion that art originated solely with modern humans. The pebble's discovery, coupled with the identification of a nearly complete Neanderthal fingerprint on it, offers new insights into Neanderthals' cognitive and cultural abilities, significantly altering our understanding of these early humans.
This finding could be a significant shift in our understanding of Neanderthal capacities, as it aligns with the growing body of evidence suggesting that Neanderthals were not as different from modern humans as previously thought, particularly in their use of technology and their interaction with medical-conditions such as ochre treatment, and their engagement with science through activities like cave painting in regions like Spain and France.
