For a long time, there was a great debate about whether Neanderthals had symbolic behavior. This debate seems to have become obsolete, as symbolic manifestations have been accumulating in the archaeological record. Is art one of these manifestations? INTRO Symbolism in Neanderthals is already widely accepted. The distance between the culture of our cousins and that of our species is no longer so great. Engravings, their use of pigments, body ornaments, burials, ritual behaviors have been found... but what about painting? It seems that there are some caves with paintings that would be of an age only compatible with having been made by Neanderthals. This is the case of, for example, La Pasiega, Maltravieso and Ardales. In these caves, traces of pigments appear that have been dated by uranium-thorium thanks to the precipitation of carbonate crusts that formed on the pigment. An article published in February 2018 sparked controversy by stating that we were looking at the oldest cave art in the world, from at least 20,000 years before the arrival of modern humans in Europe, which suggests that they must have a Neanderthal origin. However, after its publication, it was discussed whether these were really intentionally spread pigments or they could have appeared due to natural processes, such as the outcropping of iron oxide on the surface of the rock. Or a dispute over the movement of uranium in cave groundwater. And underlying all of this, the conviction that only modern humans made art. Subsequent studies have compared the pigments with other pigments found in the same cave demonstrating that their texture and composition are notably different and that therefore the pigments used in the paintings do not come from the outcrops of known coloring material in the cave. Ruling out that these images are not the result of natural processes, being more consistent with an artistic activity, supporting the use of these pigments on the walls by Neanderthals. The authors have reviewed the methodology again and have responded to objections. Works have even been published that support that these caves were initially occupied by Neanderthals, whose archaeological record is abundant, in the chronologies of the dating of the paintings, long before the arrival of modern humans. The Ardales cave, in Malaga, was occupied by both Neanderthals and modern humans. In the entrance area, abstract red motifs predominate: signs of different shapes and sizes, and two black handprints painted in negative. On the other hand, inside there are many engravings and paintings of animals (horses, bovids, goats, snakes, etc.), typical of the Gravettian, Solutrean and Magdalenian periods, and therefore, belonging to modern humans. There are areas where black pigments overlap other older reds. This suggests that the red abstract motifs are the earliest representations in the cave. The study of these red signs was joined by a handprint in Maltravieso (Cáceres) and a sign that may resemble a type of staircase in La Pasiega (Cantabria). Neanderthals buried their dead. They used pigments. They carved objects. They made body ornaments. So it is not unreasonable to think that they were also the first humans to paint on cave walls. We will continue to investigate prehistoric cultures with our videos, so to not miss them, don't forget to subscribe, hit the bell to receive notifications and follow us on the Palarq Foundation's social networks. We invite you to join us on this exciting journey throughout our history thanks to archeology and paleontology. Thanks a lot!
