Neanderthals, a type of early human, dominated the earth thousands of years ago. And, while a lot is known about their lives, scientists are still discovering new information about these ancient people. A recent discovery has shown that they used their fingers to “draw” on the walls of a caves in France 57,000 years ago. That is way before modern humans were introduced to that region, according to scientists.
The special drawings, made completely of dots, stripes, and lines, are thought to be one of the most ancient forms of art ever created by the Neanderthals. They made the drawings by sliding their fingers across the once soft wall. Then, the wall would harden and their drawings would be made permanent. They used a technique called “finger fluting”, which involves swiping your finger across a once soft wall of the cave, and once the rock hardens, the drawings become permanent.
The meaning of these drawings is still unclear. Research shows that the entrance to the cave was once sealed off by sediments at least 51,000 years ago. “The engravings could only have been made by Neanderthals,” Jean-Claude Marquet from the University of Tours in France who is one of the authors of the study, told the New Scientist.
The special drawings, made completely of dots, stripes, and lines, are thought to be one of the most ancient forms of art ever created by the Neanderthals. They made the drawings by sliding their fingers across the once soft wall. Then, the wall would harden and their drawings would be made permanent. They used a technique called “finger fluting”, which involves swiping your finger across a once soft wall of the cave, and once the rock hardens, the drawings become permanent.
The meaning of these drawings is still unclear. Research shows that the entrance to the cave was once sealed off by sediments at least 51,000 years ago. “The engravings could only have been made by Neanderthals,” Jean-Claude Marquet from the University of Tours in France who is one of the authors of the study, told the New Scientist.