The radiocarbon ‘dating’ of charcoal remains from ancient fires inside Spain’s famous Nerja caves as being around 43,000 years old has sparked debate among paleo-anthropologists. That’s because the charcoal remains were found beside six cave paintings, and presumably of the same age. However, 43,000 years by evolutionary reckoning is ‘too old’ for such paintings. Neandertals are presumed to have lived back then, without any ‘modern humans’ around. This is the first time that cave art has been linked to Neandertals.1

José Luis Sanchidrián of the University of Cordóba, Spain, says that the paintings depict the seals that the people hunted and have “no parallel in Palaeolithic art”. He describes such images painted by Neandertals as an “academic bombshell”, because all other cave paintings are thought to have been produced by what they call ‘modern’ humans.

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