On a visit to see ancient cave art in Spain, Michael Marshall explores why it's so hard to calculate the age of early human artworks and whether other hominins might also have created art.
If all the cave art in western Europe is less than 30,000 years old, it could only have been made by our species. But in the cases where researchers like Pike have managed to get reliable dates, that hasn’t always proved true.in northern Spain was at least 40,800 years old. That was old enough to be borderline: Neanderthals were still around, so they could have made the dot.
The team did this using uranium-thorium dating. This doesn’t find the age of the art itself, but the age of a thin mineral overlaying it. These layers form when water trickles over the cave wall, depositing minerals that gradually build up. The dating technique tells us when the mineral layer formed, giving a minimum age for the art.. The first was La Pasiega, which is in the same hill as El Castillo. A symbol made of red lines turned out to be at least 64,800 years old.
When I mentioned these dates to the holidaymakers in northern Spain, there were audible gasps. They were a knowledgeable and engaged audience, but these results and their transformational significance hadn’t sunk in. If the art is really this old, the most sensible explanation is thatIn line with this, Pike points to other sites with evidence of symbolic behaviour by Neanderthals, going way back into prehistory, but which were previously dismissed.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
GM May Open Its Own Factory Restoration Service, Trademark Suggests | CarscoopsGM May Open Its Own Factory Restoration Service, Trademark Suggests | Carscoops carscoops
Read more »
Email calls Breed's role in Lake Street dilemma into questionWas the un-slowing of Lake Street a done deal from the start? Slow street advocates believe they have the email to prove it, but the mayor’s office says it’s not what it looks like.
Read more »
Pa. high school athletes may start making money off ads, endorsements | Today in Pa.PIAA paves way for high school athlete payment. Allegheny County exec stands by fracking ban bill veto. Philly revamps home repair program. Harrisburg Dessert Festival this weekend.
Read more »
At American Ballet Theatre, a star choreographer with ties to Russia and Ukraine processes the war with his art“It’s been a lot; I need to process it,” choreographer Alexei Ratmansky — born in Russia, raised in Ukraine — says about the war in Ukraine. “The best way to process it is to find a shape for it onstage.” Read more:
Read more »
At American Ballet Theatre, a star choreographer with ties to Russia and Ukraine processes the war with his art“I was the boy from Kyiv when I studied in Moscow,' says choreographer Alexei Ratmansky. 'When I danced in Kyiv I was the foreigner from Moscow.' Currently artist-in-residence with the American Ballet Theatre, he is processing the war in Ukraine onstage.
Read more »