New Research Reveals Neanderthals' Love for Colorful Crayons.
The discovery of two yellow ocher crayon-like tools found at the Zaskalnaya V rock shelter in Ukraine has provided a unique glimpse into the artistic side of our ancient ancestors, the Neanderthals. The tools were deliberately shaped and resharpened multiple times before being worn down to a dull point.
Researchers D'Errico et al., who studied the artifacts, noted that these tools indicated an intention to use them for drawing or marking on softer surfaces, such as animal hides or stone slabs. However, the exact material used by Neanderthals remains unknown due to the fragility of the ocher.
In a further find, 73,000-year-old drawings from Blombo Cave in South Africa were found to be made using similar tools. This similarity highlights that both Neanderthals and modern humans developed crayons independently around the same time.
Moreover, archaeologists discovered another flat piece of orange ocher with carefully carved parallel lines. The polished surface suggests it was handled for a long period, possibly carried in a bag.
A collection of finds have shed light on Neanderthal artwork and jewelry, including 57,000-year-old finger marks on a cave wall in France and 114,000-year-old ocher-painted shells in Spain.
Neanderthals had a sophisticated use of ocher, one facet of their complex cultural life. D'Errico et al. argue that Neanderthal artwork demonstrates the cognitive flexibility and symbolic capacity traditionally attributed to humans.
The findings suggest that Neanderthals were equally intelligent, innovative, and creative as our species. Additionally, evidence shows that the impulse to make art is rooted deep in our family tree.
In conclusion, these recent discoveries provide a fresh perspective on the lives of our ancient ancestors, highlighting their capacity for creativity and artistic expression.
The discovery of two yellow ocher crayon-like tools found at the Zaskalnaya V rock shelter in Ukraine has provided a unique glimpse into the artistic side of our ancient ancestors, the Neanderthals. The tools were deliberately shaped and resharpened multiple times before being worn down to a dull point.
Researchers D'Errico et al., who studied the artifacts, noted that these tools indicated an intention to use them for drawing or marking on softer surfaces, such as animal hides or stone slabs. However, the exact material used by Neanderthals remains unknown due to the fragility of the ocher.
In a further find, 73,000-year-old drawings from Blombo Cave in South Africa were found to be made using similar tools. This similarity highlights that both Neanderthals and modern humans developed crayons independently around the same time.
Moreover, archaeologists discovered another flat piece of orange ocher with carefully carved parallel lines. The polished surface suggests it was handled for a long period, possibly carried in a bag.
A collection of finds have shed light on Neanderthal artwork and jewelry, including 57,000-year-old finger marks on a cave wall in France and 114,000-year-old ocher-painted shells in Spain.
Neanderthals had a sophisticated use of ocher, one facet of their complex cultural life. D'Errico et al. argue that Neanderthal artwork demonstrates the cognitive flexibility and symbolic capacity traditionally attributed to humans.
The findings suggest that Neanderthals were equally intelligent, innovative, and creative as our species. Additionally, evidence shows that the impulse to make art is rooted deep in our family tree.
In conclusion, these recent discoveries provide a fresh perspective on the lives of our ancient ancestors, highlighting their capacity for creativity and artistic expression.
! like who knew neanderthals were colorin' book enthusiasts 
. it's crazy to think that they had similar crayon-like tools as us and used them to make art on animal hides or stone slabs... it just goes to show how intelligent and creative they were, right? 
i mean, 57k year old finger marks in france? that's like me finding a 5k year old doodle from my kindergarten self 
.
! I mean, who knew they had crayons too? 
It's crazy to think that they were just as creative as us, but we didn't even know about them until now. The fact that they used similar tools and techniques is mind-blowing! 
And the orange ocher with those cool carved lines... it looks like something out of a fantasy movie 
they must've been super good at drawing cave paintings or animal designs on their hides it's so cool to see how intelligent and creative they were back then, even better than we thought!
. I guess it shows us that we're not as different from our ancient ancestors as we thought 
. Can you imagine making art with crayons made from natural stuff like ocher? It's a pretty cool idea 
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meanwhile, our grandparents were just tryna survive in the Stone Age and now we know they had their own art thing goin on too? 
that flat piece of orange ocher with parallel lines is straight outta a kindergarten classroom, you feel me? 
It's mind-blowing to think that they had a similar concept of art like us. The fact that they carved their own tools and used them to create marks on softer surfaces is just so cool 
I mean, who knew Neanderthals had a thing for orange ocher? it's like they were trying to make some kind of cave art masterpiece 
It just goes to show that they had access to a range of colors and were experimenting with them. The idea that Neanderthals were equally intelligent and creative as humans is a pretty mind-blowing one.
It's actually pretty cool that Neanderthals had their own version of art and self-expression, even if it was a bit different from ours 
and it's so sick 2 think dey wuz equally intelligent, innovative n creative as us humans 
can u imagine goin back in time n makin art with them? 
anyway its interesting to think that Neanderthals were just as creative and smart as us humans 
! Those crayon-like tools are so cool. It's wild to think they were using them to draw on animal hides or stone slabs. The fact that we have similar tools from 73,000 years ago is mind-blowing. I'm loving the idea that both Neanderthals and modern humans developed our own way of making art independently. It just goes to show how creative and intelligent our ancient ancestors were. 
so basically, we're all related... in terms of art skills