Researchers in Spain have discovered evidence suggesting that Neanderthals were capable of creating art, challenging the notion that artistic expression is exclusive to modern humans. The find, an 8-inch quartz-rich granite pebble excavated from a rock shelter in central Spain, dates back 42,000 to 43,000 years. This pebble features curves and indentations resembling a human face, with a distinct red dot at the center, interpreted as a nose. The study, published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, indicates that the pebble was likely a non-utilitarian object rather than a tool.
Lead author David Álvarez-Alonso noted that the red dot was found to be made of ochre and confirmed by forensic analysis to be a fingerprint, suggesting it was applied intentionally by a finger dipped in pigment. The researchers theorize that the Neanderthal, presumed to be an adult male, perceived the stone as a face—an example of pareidolia—and went on to embellish it, creating an early abstraction of a human figure.
This discovery is significant as it is the most complete Neanderthal fingerprint identified to date, indicating the potential for symbolic behavior among Neanderthals. While Neanderthals went extinct roughly 40,000 years ago, their remains do not suggest a cognitive inferiority compared to modern humans. The stone is one of a few artifacts hinting that Neanderthals may have had complex minds capable of symbolization. However, Álvarez-Alonso cautions against drawing direct parallels between Neanderthal and modern human symbolism, as differences in their visual symbolic systems remain evident.
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