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Study:NeanderthalsWereArtists

Someoftheworld’soldest_______artistoooldtohavebeenmadebymodernhumans,researcherssay.

StudiessuggestthatNeanderthalswere_______

forcreatingcavedrawingsfoundinmodern-daySpain.Theyalsoappeartohavepaintedandcutholesinseashellsforuseasjewelry.

ReportsonthestudieswerepublishedinthejournalsScienceandScienceAdvances.

NeanderthalswererelatedtoHomosapiens,thescientificnameformodernhumanbeings.NeanderthalslivedinEuropeandAsiabeforedisappearingabout40,yearsago.Aroundthattime,scientistsbelieve,HomosapiensarrivedinEuropefromAfrica.

Newevidence,oldtheory

Researcherssaythenewstudiesprovideevidencethattheartworkwasmadeabout20,yearsbeforemodernhumanscametoEurope.

ThefindingswereasurprisetoWilRoebroeks,anexpertonNeanderthals.Hesaiditrepresents“…amajorbreakthroughinthefieldofhumanevolutionstudies.”

Now,hesaid,Neanderthal“ownershipofsomecaveartisafact.”

Roebroeks,whowasnotpartofeitherstudy,isaprofessoratLeidenUniversityintheNetherlands.

Collectingevidence

Untilnow,mostscientiststhoughtallcavepaintingsweretheworkofhumans.

Inthefirststudy,researchersexaminedartworkinthreecavesinnorthern,southernandwest-centralSpain.Theyattemptedtoestimatetheageofthreepaintings.

Moderntechnologyhasmadeiteasierforscientiststodateeachpainting.Theyusedaprocesscalledtheuranium-thoriummethodtoestimatetheage.

Thescientistsremovedsmallpiecesofrockmaterialthathadformedonthesurfaceoftheartwork,andstudiedtheminalaboratory.Theyfoundthecaveartdatesbackto64,yearsago.

DirkHoffmann,ofGermany’sMaxPlanckInstitute,saidtheartworkissimple,butimportantforwhatitrepresents.Hesaidoneworkisacollectionsoflinesthatlooklikealadder;theothersincluderedmarksandroundedobjectsonrockformations.Anotherpaintingisintheshapeofahand.

Makingtheimageofthehandinvolvesmanysteps,Hoffmannandtheotherresearchersnoted.Thisledthemtodecidethatitwasaslow,thoughtfulcreation.

ThesecondstudyattemptedtoidentifytheageofshellsthathadbeencoloredandcutinanothercaveinsoutheastSpain.Researchersstudiedrockthathadformedabovewheretheshellswerefound.Theirinvestigationfoundthattheshellswerearound,yearsold.Thisisabout20,to40,yearsolderthan