In a groundbreaking study published in PLOS ONE on June 21, 2023, researchers identified a series of markings on the walls of La Roche-Cotard cave in the Center-Val de Loire region of France as the oldest known engravings made by Neanderthals. Led by Jean-Claude Marquet of the University of Tours, the team’s work not only sheds new light on Neanderthal behavior but also expands our understanding of their cultural and symbolic practices, suggesting that Neanderthals had artistic and symbolic inclinations that parallel those of early Homo sapiens.
For decades, evidence of Neanderthal cultural expression remained sparse and controversial, with only a few examples of symbolic artifacts linked to them, such as eagle talon jewelry, symbolic use of ochre, and bone carvings. While Homo sapiens were known for creating figurative cave art dating back tens of thousands of years, such as the paintings in Spain’s El Castillo and Indonesia’s Leang Timpuseng, Neanderthal contributions to symbolic expression remained uncertain. The findings at La Roche-Cotard, however, suggest that Neanderthals were also capable of intentional, organized marking—though non-figurative—indicating a capacity for symbolic thought and expression previously underestimated.
The team at La Roche-Cotard identified the markings as “finger-flutings,” which are lines made by human fingers in soft surfaces, like clay or mud on the cave wall. Using photogrammetry, a technique that converts photographs into precise 3D models, they examined these lines, analyzing their shape, depth, spacing, and orientation. By comparing the markings with those made experimentally by human hands and with other known Neanderthal finger-flutings, they concluded that the La Roche-Cotard engravings were deliberate, organized, and created by Neanderthal hands, rather than being random marks or naturally occurring formations.
To confirm that Neanderthals were responsible for these engravings, the researchers employed optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on the cave sediments, a technique that measures the last time quartz or feldspar grains were exposed to light. The results revealed that the cave had been sealed by sediment around 57,000 years ago, effectively locking away its contents. This date aligns with the Mousterian tools found within the cave, a type of stone technology exclusively associated with Neanderthals in Europe. Since Homo sapiens had not yet arrived in the region, the engravings are almost certainly the work of Neanderthals.
While the purpose of these engravings remains a mystery, their existence hints at possible symbolic or ritualistic behavior. Unlike figurative cave paintings, which clearly depict animals or human forms, the La Roche-Cotard markings are abstract. They bear similarities in age to other cave art from Homo sapiens, like the engravings found in Blombos Cave in South Africa and the geometric shapes at the Apollo 11 Cave in Namibia. This parallel suggests that both Neanderthals and Homo sapiens may have shared a similar drive for artistic expression, even if the forms differed.
This discovery joins a growing body of evidence that Neanderthals engaged in complex activities and had cognitive capacities that were not vastly different from those of early Homo sapiens. Recent studies of other Neanderthal sites have shown that they crafted tools, used fire, engaged in symbolic practices, and possibly even buried their dead with care. The findings at La Roche-Cotard add a new layer to this narrative, suggesting that Neanderthals also engaged in symbolic behaviors that may have had cultural or ritual significance.
While this discovery does not conclusively reveal what Neanderthals intended with their engravings, it opens the door to exploring new questions about their social structures, beliefs, and cognitive abilities. Were these marks part of a ritual? Could they have been a form of early communication or storytelling? Did they serve a practical or social function? These are questions that future research may explore, especially as new technologies enable more detailed analysis of prehistoric sites.
The authors of the study note the historical significance of these findings, stating, “Fifteen years after the resumption of excavations at the La Roche-Cotard site, the engravings have been dated to over 57,000 years ago and, thanks to stratigraphy, probably to around 75,000 years ago, making this the oldest decorated cave in France, if not Europe.” These engravings predate any known Homo sapiens art in Europe, potentially making La Roche-Cotard one of the earliest examples of symbolic cave art in the world.
The La Roche-Cotard engravings deepen our understanding of Neanderthals and challenge the lingering stereotype that they were culturally inferior to early Homo sapiens. Instead, it appears that Neanderthals engaged in various forms of creative and symbolic behavior, demonstrating that they, too, may have held beliefs, created symbolic representations, or expressed themselves through art in ways we are only beginning to uncover. This discovery offers a profound insight into the shared human drive for creativity, suggesting that both Neanderthals and Homo sapiens possessed an inherent curiosity and a desire to leave a mark on the world—quite literally—upon the walls of ancient caves.
Source: Public Library of Science