Archive · 29 May 2025
Oldest Known Human Fingerprint: Neanderthal Art Discovery
Imagine a very old painting!
Scientists found a fingerprint on a rock, left by a Neanderthal, who were like us but lived a long, long time ago.
The fingerprint is 43,000 years old!
It's on a stone with a red dot that looks like a nose, and it's probably the oldest one ever found.
This shows that Neanderthals were smarter than we thought.
They could think about art and symbols.
The Neanderthal likely found the stone, brought it to their shelter, and made the mark using red paint.
The stone is like a really, really old drawing!
A 43,000-year-old Neanderthal fingerprint was discovered in Spain, potentially the oldest human fingerprint.
The fingerprint was found on a face-shaped stone with a red ochre dot, interpreted as a nose.
The discovery challenges the idea that Neanderthals lacked symbolic art capabilities.
Scientists used multi-spectrum techniques and forensic analysis to confirm the fingerprint.
The stone was likely brought to the site by a Neanderthal and intentionally marked with ochre.
- Who
- Neanderthals, our closest extinct human relatives.
- What
- Discovery of a 43,000-year-old Neanderthal fingerprint on a stone in Spain.
- When
- Approximately 43,000 years ago.
- Where
- San Lázaro rock shelter in Segovia, Spain.
- Why
- The discovery provides insights into Neanderthals' cognitive abilities and artistic expression.
- Age of Fingerprint
- 43,000 years old
- Location
- San Lázaro rock shelter, Segovia, Spain
- Pigment
- Red ochre
- Species
- Neanderthal
- Object
- Face-shaped rock
- Possible fingerprint owner
- Adult male