Artists Have Been Painting Inside This Spanish Cave for 58,000 Years

[Judi Lynn]

Archaeologists finally understand who decorated the Cueva de Ardales

Sarah Kuta
Daily Correspondent

June 3, 2022



Archaeologists inside Cueva de Ardales Ramos-Muñoz et al., CC-BY 4.0

In 1821, an earthquake rocked southern Spain and, in the process, exposed the entrance to Cueva de Ardales, a previously hidden cave. Inside, more than 1,000 engravings and red paintings dotted its walls, ceilings, ground rocks and other natural features.

Archaeologists have long suspected that the cave’s artwork was very old, but now, they believe they have a much clearer picture of exactly when—and who—created it. Neanderthals and, later, more modern humans left their artistic mark on the cave starting around 58,000 years ago, according to a new paper published this week in the journal PLOS One.

An international team of archaeologists explored Cueva de Ardales from 2011 to 2018, then used radiocarbon and uranium-thorium dating techniques to understand the cave’s history.

They believe Neanderthals first entered the cave during the Middle Paleolithic, or the middle part of the Stone Age, drawing on the walls and maintaining their tools inside. After that, human visits to Cueva de Ardales ebbed and flowed all the way through to the late Neolithic/Chalcolithic period—the latter part of the Stone Age and the Copper Age—about 5,500 years ago,

More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/artists-have-been-painting-on-the-walls-of-this-spanish-cave-for-58000-years-180980191/