ABOVE: Mineral deposits featuring red markings made by Neanderthals in Cueva de Ardales
JOÃO ZILHÃO
Neanderthals were making their mark on caves long before modern humans came to Europe. A paper published Monday (August 2) in PNAS confirms that red ochre markings on structures inside the famed Cueva de Ardales in Málaga, Spain were created intentionally and were not naturally occurring as some thought.
In the caves, stalagmites—formations that are made from the buildup of minerals as water drips in caves—were found to be streaked with red. When the caves were discovered, there was some debate over whether the discoloration came from a natural source, such as oxidized iron, or if the Neanderthals that lived in them were more intelligent than they had been given credit for and made the marks deliberately.
According to the study, the color couldn’t have appeared on the rocks through any natural process. Microscopic analyses found ...
