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Image depicting cave art, as in, Study says Spanish cave art was painted by Neanderthals

Study says Spanish cave art was painted by Neanderthals

 

Recommended for Middle Grades

We have read about ancient cave art before.

A recent study has revealed that ancient paintings in a Spanish cave was painted by Neanderthals. Neanderthals are the extinct species or subspecies of humans who existed in Eurasia, 40,000 years ago.

The cave art is done on the stalagmites of the cave.  The study says that Neanderthals painted it around 60,000 years ago.

What are stalgamites and how are they formed?

Stalgamite are columns rising from the floor of a cave. They are formed from calcium salts deposited by dripping water.

Why is this discovery a surprise?

The stalagmite cave art is done very well, with different colours. So, for a long time, scientists could not believe that Neanderthals did it, because they thought they were not smart enough to do it.

But the study shows that, at that time, modern humans did not live in the area. And so, only Neanderthals could have done it. The study says that they applied the pigments (colours) through splattering and blowing. Moreover, the different pigments were painted over different times, with more than 10,000 years’ difference.

All this shows that Neanderthals were more intelligent and smarter than we thought previously.

 

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