French scientists have identified a unique engraving in the Ségognole 3 cave, located in the famous sandstone massif south of Paris. This engraving, dating back to the Upper Paleolithic, could be the oldest three-dimensional map ever found. The research, published in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology, reveals how hunter-gatherers over 20,000 years ago shaped and […]
Prehistoric Caves
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
The prehistoric hand stencils in Maltravieso Cave in Spain are so ancient they might have been created by Neanderthals
An international team of researchers has confirmed through uranium-thorium dating that the iconic hand paintings in Maltravieso Cave, in Cáceres, Spain, could be some of the oldest ever created, possibly by Neanderthals. This discovery establishes this cave as a key site for understanding the origins of human art and its evolution. The Maltravieso Cave, located […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
The Oldest Bowstrings in Europe, 7,000 Years Old, Found in a Cave in Granada, Spain
A recent study led by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) has revealed the sophistication of Neolithic archery equipment on the Iberian Peninsula (5300–4900 BCE). The analysis of remains found in the Cueva de Los Murciélagos in Albuñol (Granada, SpainCordage fragments from Cueva de los Murciélagos identified as possible bowstrings.) has not only reconstructed the […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
Vestiges of the Oldest Human Rituals in Asia and a Totem-Rock Found in a Galilean Cave
In the depths of Galilee in modern-day Israel, an unprecedented archaeological discovery is shedding new light on the earliest inhabitants of the Asian continent. The Manot Cave, located near the border with Lebanon, has provided evidence of ritual gatherings dating back 35,000 years, becoming a unique testament to the social and spiritual practices of early […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
A 9,000-Year-Old Hearth and Mesolithic Harpoon Found in a German Cave
The Blätterhöhle cave in Hagen, Germany, has become a significant archaeological site in Westphalia due to recent remarkable discoveries from the Stone Age. Researchers from the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL), the city of Hagen, and the universities of Bochum and Cologne have unearthed an ancient hearth around 9,000 years old and three flint arrowheads inside the […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
Discoveries in the Cova dels Tritons push back the presence of the first Homo sapiens in the Prehistoric Pyrenees by 5,000 years
The history of human settlement in the valleys of the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees has always been closely tied to climate changes over time. The changing nature of the climate in this region, with extremely cold periods followed by milder ones, has decisively influenced the permanence and abandonment of human settlements. During Prehistory, these valleys experienced […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
The Zagros Mountains were the place where Neanderthals and modern humans interbred
An international team of researchers has used innovative ecological modeling techniques to identify, for the first time, the possible geographical areas where Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans might have encountered and interbred tens of thousands of years ago. The study, recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, highlights the crucial role played by certain geographical […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
South America’s Oldest Rock Art Discovered in a Cave where Information has been Transmitted for More than 100 Generations
Researchers have managed to establish the earliest recorded dates to date for rock art in South America, after dating pictorial motifs in the cave Huenul 1, in the Argentine Patagonia. The findings indicate that the production of rock art in this region began at least 8200 years ago, which allows for a better understanding of […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
Prehistoric Subterranean Stilt Village in Italy Investigated, the Only One Known in Europe
The Pertosa-Auletta Caves, a karstic complex located at the foothills of the Alburni Mountains in southern Italy, have recently been the subject of a significant archaeological research project. Thanks to collaboration between local authorities and several scientific organizations, it became possible in January 2024 to temporarily drain a dam obstructing the entrance to the caves, […]
Posted inArchaeology
Remains of a Baby and Two Teenagers, Buried Alive or Sacrificed, Found in a Prehistoric Cave in Mexico
Recently, during the 2023-2024 field seasons at the La Morita II prehistoric cave in the state of Nuevo León (Mexico), archaeologists made several significant discoveries. Among the most notable findings are human remains dating back 2,500 to 3,000 years before the present. The human remains, corresponding to a baby and two teenagers, were found at […]
