64,000-year-old cave art at Cave of Maltravieso

64,000-year-old cave art at Cave of Maltravieso

In Spain's Cave of Maltravieso, archaeologists found 71 prehistoric hand paintings. But the possibility of Neanderthal cave art is disputed.

Cueva de Maltravieso in Cáceres, Spain, is famous for its 71 prehistoric hand paintings found on its walls. In 2018, researchers determined that the silhouettes in the deepest parts of the Maltravieso cave, in the oldest layers, were at least 66,700 years old, dating back to the Middle Paleolithic period. However, the possibility of Neanderthal cave art, referring to these handprints, is disputed. Some have questioned the dating and the attribution to Neanderthals. The Cave of Maltravieso was discovered in 1951 and shows traces of human occupation from the Middle Paleolithic. It contains cave art and is located in Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain. Other nearby Paleolithic caves are those of El Conejar, Santa Ana and Castañar de Ibor.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons

Written by Nik Frost

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