Recent dating of soft-sediment 'finger flutings' found in the La Roche-Cotard cave in France has confirmed they were made by Neanderthals over 57,000 years ago. These markings, created by dragging fingers across the soft clay walls, represent some of the oldest known examples of non-utilitarian parietal art.
The discovery challenges the long-held belief that symbolic expression was exclusive to Homo sapiens. The organized nature of the flutings suggests a level of cognitive complexity and intentionality previously unacknowledged in Neanderthal populations.