This combination of pictures obtained on July 29, 2021, shows a general view and close-up of a partly coloured stalagmite tower in the Spanish cave of Ardales, southern Spain.
Posted on 08/15/2021 2:14:54 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Neanderthals, long perceived to have been unsophisticated and brutish, really did paint stalagmites in a Spanish cave more than 60,000 years ago, according to a study published on Monday.
The issue had roiled the paleoarchaeology community ever since the publication of a 2018 paper attributing red ocher pigment found on the stalagmitic dome of Cueva de Ardales to our extinct "cousin" species.
The dating suggested the art was at least 64,800 years old, made at a time when modern humans did not inhabit the continent...
A new analysis revealed the composition and placement of the pigments were not consistent with natural processes—instead, the pigments were applied through splattering and blowing.
What's more, their texture did not match natural samples taken from the caves, suggesting the pigments came from an external source.
More detailed dating showed that the pigments were applied at different points in time, separated by more than ten thousand years...
It is difficult to compare the Neanderthal "art" to wall paintings made by prehistoric modern humans, such as those found in the Chauvet-Pont d'Arc cave of France, more 30,000 years old...
The team wrote that the pigments are not "art" in the narrow sense of the word "but rather the result of graphic behaviors intent on perpetuating the symbolic significance of a space."
The cave formations "played a fundamental role in the symbolic systems of some Neanderthal communities," though what those symbols meant remains a mystery for now.
(Excerpt) Read more at phys.org ...
This combination of pictures obtained on July 29, 2021, shows a general view and close-up of a partly coloured stalagmite tower in the Spanish cave of Ardales, southern Spain.
Strangely enough they were also excellent dancers. Very light on their feet.
;^)
I see it I see it That is just some more of Hunter Biden’s art the Neanderthals stole.
So, ... just like "modern art" you'd find in L.A., NYC or Paris today then?
Some people did something ... with pigments. :)
You people just can't help it can you?
Post of the day winner.
Hell, yes, some people did something
...those people were Russian piglets!
Sooooey!
Neanderthal woman: What color should we paint this stalactite? Ocher or cave bear bile?
Neanderthal man: Ugh. Huh?
Neanderthal woman: You don’t care what our cave looks like? Or don’t you care?
Neanderthal man: Me go kill cave bear.
The biggest problem in Neandertal society was, no man caves.
Study: Spain’s Cueva de Ardales Was Used by Ancient Humans for Over 50,000 years
http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/cueva-de-ardales-10864.html
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