Neanderthals painted stalagmites red

[Judi Lynn]

3 August 2021
/Deborah Devis

Ochre pigments reveal 65,000-year-old Spanish cave paintings.



Flowstone formation in the Sala de las Estrellas at Cueva de Ardales (Malaga, Andalusia), with the traces of red pigment analysed and discussed in the article. Credit: João Zilhão, ICREA


Deep in Cueva de Ardales (Cave of Ardales) in Spain, stalagmites have been painted red by artistic Neanderthals, according to a study published in PNAS.

Stalagmites, or flowstones, are long, hanging spikes made from calcite and other carbonate materials that form where water flows down cave walls and floors. The stalagmites in Cueva de Ardales, near Málaga on Spain’s south coast, are stained red in places, but it had previously been unclear whether the colouring was natural or painted.

Now, an international team of researchers, led by Africa Pitarch Martí from the University of Barcelona, Spain, has used different forms of microscopy and spectroscopy – studying how light is absorbed – to determine that the red pigment is made of ochre and not the iron-oxide-rich deposits of the cave.

This means they couldn’t have been stained naturally as the stalagmites formed, and so must have been painted.

. . .



Researchers looking toward the massive speleothem of Cueva Ardales, with archaeological
trench in the foreground. Credit: Pedro Cantalejo-Duarte.

More:
https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/archaeology/neanderthals-painted-stalagmites-with-ochre/