π️ World's Oldest Fingerprint? Neanderthal "Art" Found in Spain!
A 43,000-year-old pebble discovered in Spain’s San LΓ‘zaro rock shelter bears a red ocher fingerprint—possibly the oldest human fingerprint ever found... and maybe even a Neanderthal's artistic attempt at a face!
Why This Matters
π΄ Intentional or accidental?
The fingerprint sits perfectly centered between natural divots—like eyes and a mouth.
Archaeologists argue it’s deliberate symbolic art, not just a smudge.
π¨ Rewriting Neanderthal history
If confirmed, this could be one of the oldest "portable art" pieces—challenging the myth that Neanderthals lacked creativity.
π§ The debate continues
"If this were made by Homo sapiens 5,000 years ago, no one would question it as art." — Lead researcher David Γlvarez-Alonso
#NeanderthalArt #OldestFingerprint #Archaeology #HumanOrigins #PrehistoricArt
Reference
Γlvarez-Alonso, D., de AndrΓ©s-Herrero, M., DΓez-Herrero, A. et al. More than a fingerprint on a pebble: A pigment-marked object from San LΓ‘zaro rock-shelter in the context of Neanderthal symbolic behavior. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 17, 131 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-025-02243-1.
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