43,000-Year-Old Fingerprint Suggests Neanderthals Created Art
A granite pebble discovered in Spain’s San Lázaro rock shelter may represent the oldest known Neanderthal artwork, featuring a 43,000-year-old fingerprint in red ochre, The Guardian reported. Archaeologists believe a Neanderthal man intentionally marked the stone’s face-like contours with pigment, creating a symbolic “nose.”
The 20cm pebble, found in 2022, showed no tool-use markings. Forensic analysis confirmed the ochre dot—composed of iron oxides and clay—was applied by a human finger, likely an adult male’s. Researchers argue the deliberate placement suggests pareidolia (seeing faces in objects) and symbolic intent.
Published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, the study challenges assumptions that only Homo sapiens created art. The team notes the pebble was transported to the cave, with ochre sourced elsewhere, indicating advanced cognitive processes like abstraction and meaning-making.
Lead archaeologist David Álvarez Alonso acknowledges debate but asserts: “Neanderthals had a similar capacity for symbolic thought.” The find, unparalleled in prehistoric records, reignites discussions about art’s origins.
