A groundbreaking discovery has shed new light on the creative abilities of Neanderthals. Researchers have found that engravings in the La Roche-Cotard cave in France are the oldest known examples of Neanderthal cave art. These intricate patterns, created by deliberately dragging fingers across the soft rock, have remained hidden for over 57,000 years. The findings, published in PLOS One, confirm that Neanderthals possessed complex cognitive skills beyond basic survival instincts. Archaeologist Jean-Claude Marquet of the University of Tours, France, states, “This discovery should lead prehistorians who have doubts about Neanderthal skills to reconsider”.
The La Roche-Cotard cave, situated above the Loire River, was initially uncovered in 1846 during the construction of a railroad line. Subsequent excavations in 1912 revealed a plethora of prehistoric stone tools, along with evidence of Paleolithic hunters frequenting the site thousands of years earlier. The finger tracings on the cave walls were first noted in the 1970s and have been meticulously studied since 2016. By plotting and creating 3D models of the engravings, researchers established that they were intentionally created by human hands. The unique characteristics of the rock, known as tuffeau, allowed for the creation of these enduring marks. When fingers come into contact with the fragile sandy-clay film on the rock’s surface, they leave distinct traces.
While the meaning and function of these engravings remain unknown, the presence of Mousterian stone tools strongly suggests that Neanderthals exclusively used the cave. Geological evidence also supports this claim, as sediments in and around the cave reveal that it was sealed off at least 57,000 years ago. This date predates the arrival of Homo sapiens in the region, further solidifying the attribution of the engravings to Neanderthals. Paul Pettitt, an archaeologist from Durham University, praised the researchers’ convincing case, highlighting the absence of subsequent Upper Paleolithic activity in the cave as evidence of Neanderthal authorship.
This discovery adds to a growing body of evidence challenging the perception of Neanderthals as being intellectually inferior. Previous findings in Spanish caves and on the Tibetan Plateau suggest that Neanderthals were capable of creating cave paintings and leaving handprints and footprints, indicating complex cognitive abilities. Despite stylistic differences between Neanderthal and Homo sapiens’ cave art, the existence of these early expressions of creativity reflects the social dynamics and cultural needs of each species, according to archaeologist Eric Robert. As our understanding of Neanderthals continues to evolve, it is becoming increasingly clear that they were much more than the primitive beings they were once believed to be.
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