FRANCE: Researchers uncovered the earliest known cave engravings in France, and possibly Europe, in the Loire Valley, with designs reaching back at least 57,000 years to the age of Neanderthals.
The engravings, also known as finger-flutings, predate the advent of Homo sapiens in Western Europe, according to the results published Wednesday in the American journal PLOS One. The designs are abstract, but “clearly intentional” and “make a new and very important contribution to our knowledge of Neanderthal be,” according to the research team.
The Roche-Cotard cave, near Tours in central France, was found in 1846 but remained mainly inaccessible until 1912 when the site’s owner excavated silt that had blocked the entrance for thousands of years. Extensive archaeological investigations began in 2008, with dating techniques revealing the engravings were created before modern people’s ancestors are likely to have settled in the area.
The engravings have been dated to over 57,000 years ago and, according to geology, possibly around 75,000 years ago, making this the oldest decorated cave in France, if not Europe, according to the authors in a separate news release.
According to a statement issued by France’s CNRS research institute and the University of Rennes, which participated in the research, the majority of the images were traced by finger and “represent non-figurative designs.” Some are basic, with finger impacts surrounding a huge fossil placed in the rock or extending across a vast surface, they added, while others are more intricate.
