Neanderthal Cave Paintings Lecture

Introduction

• First Impressions: "You never have a second chance to make a first impression" has been a long-standing issue for Neanderthals since the 19th century.
• Historical Perception: Neanderthals initially called "Homo stupidest," perceived as unintelligent and comparable to gorillas.

Discovery and Evidence

• Symbolic Paintings:
  • Neanderthals created symbolic paintings, not just smearing pigments.
  • Panels include various components: red lines forming squares and rectangles, animal depictions, red dots.

Dating the Paintings

• Traditional Method: Radiocarbon dating not applicable due to mineral pigments.
• Alternative Method:
  • Timely white crusts (calcium carbonate) formed by water percolating through rocks used for dating.
  • Uranium series dating of carbonates: well-established, allows smaller sample dating essential for archaeology.

Findings

• Age of Paintings:
  • Minimum age of these paintings is 64,000 years.
  • Around this time, only Neanderthals inhabited Spain.
  • Modern humans arrived in Spain about 40,000 years ago.

Cultural Significance

• Symbolic and Cultural Practices:
  • Presence in three caves (North, Center, South of Spain) indicates deliberate cultural practice.
  • Location choice in deep caves suggests symbolic or ritual significance.

Conclusion

• Neanderthal Cognitive Abilities:
  • Evidence challenges the perception of Neanderthals as cognitively inferior.
  • Neanderthals are part of human ancestry, not a less-endowed variant.

Implications for Human History

• Study of Neanderthal archaeology, skeletons, and genes is crucial for understanding the human story comprehensively.