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September 4, 2014

CNRS

The first example of a rock engraving attributed to Neanderthals hasbeen discovered in Gorham's Cave, Gibraltar. Dated at over 39,000years old, it consists of a deeply impressed cross-hatching carved intorock. Its analysis calls into question the view that the production ofrepresentational and abstract depictions on cave walls was a culturalinnovation introduced into Europe by modern humans. On the contrary,the findings support the hypothesis that Neanderthals had a symbolicmaterial culture.

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First Neanderthal rock engraving found in Gibraltar: Abstract art olderthan thought?

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Credit: F. d'Errico [Click to enlarge image]

T

Entrance to Gorham's Cave (top), Gibraltar photograph (middle) and analysis of theengraving (bottom).

he first example of a rock engraving attributed to Neanderthals hasbeen discovered in Gorham's Cave, Gibraltar, by an international teambringing together prehistorians from the French Laboratory 'De la

Prhistoire l'Actuel: Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie' (PACEA --CNRS/Universit Bordeaux/Ministre de la Culture et de la Communication),and researchers from the UK and Spain. Dated at over 39,000 years old, itconsists of a deeply impressed cross-hatching carved into rock. Its analysiscalls into question the view that the production of representational andabstract depictions on cave walls was a cultural innovation introduced intoEurope by modern humans.

On the contrary, the findings, published Sept. 1 in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,support the hypothesis that Neanderthals had asymbolic material culture.

The production of representational and abstractdepictions on cave walls is seen as a key stage inthe development of human cultures. Until now, thiscultural innovation was considered to be a

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cultural innovation was considered to be acharacteristic feature of modern humans, whocolonized Europe around 40,000 years ago. It hasalso frequently been used to suggest that there weremarked cognitive differences between modernhumans and the Neanderthals who preceded them,and who did not express themselves in this way. Therecent discovery in Gorham's Cave changes thepicture.

It consists of an abstract engraving in the form of a deeply impressed cross-hatchingcarved into the bedrock at the back of the cave. At the time it was identified it wascovered by a layer of sediment shown by radiocarbon dating to be 39,000 years old.Since the engraving lies beneath this layer it is therefore older. This dating, togetherwith the presence of Mousterian* tools characteristic of Neanderthals in the sedimentscovering the engraving, shows that it was made by Neanderthals, who still populatedthe south of the Iberian peninsula at that time.

Researchers at the PACEA Laboratory (CNRS/Universit de Bordeaux/Ministre de laCulture et de la Communication) undertook a microscopic analysis of the engraving,produced a 3-D reconstruction of it, and carried out an experimental study, whichdemonstrated its human origin. The work also showed that the engraved lines are notthe result of utilitarian activity, such as the cutting of meat or skins, but rather that ofrepeatedly and intentionally passing a robust pointed lithic tool (a pointed tool made ofstone) into the rock to carve deep grooves. The lines were skilfully carved, and theresearchers calculated that between 188 and 317 strokes of the engraving tool werenecessary to achieve this result.

The discovery supports the view that graphic expression was not exclusive to modernhumans, and that some Neanderthal cultures produced abstract engravings, usingthese to mark their living space.

The research was supported by an ERC grant.

*Mousterian culture was produced in Europe by Neanderthals during the MiddlePaleolithic (300,000 to 39,000 years ago).

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The above story is based on materials provided by CNRS. Note: Materials may beedited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

1. J. Rodriguez-Vidal, F. d'Errico, F. Giles Pacheco, R. Blasco, J. Rosell, R. P.Jennings, A. Queffelec, G. Finlayson, D. A. Fa, J. M. Gutierrez Lopez, J. S.Carrion, J. J. Negro, S. Finlayson, L. M. Caceres, M. A. Bernal, S. FernandezJimenez, C. Finlayson. A rock engraving made by Neanderthals in Gibraltar.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2014; DOI:

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