43,000 year-old human fingerprint by Neanderthal is known to be the oldest on the planet

Time of India

6 days ago

Source: Live Science
A remarkable discovery of a 43,000 year old human fingerprint has recently shed new light on the capabilities of Neanderthals which are our closest extinct relatives. Scientists have uncovered what is believed to be the oldest known human fingerprint is an imprint left on a stone approximately 43,000 years ago during the prehistoric era.
This extraordinary find adds a significant chapter to the history of early humans and their ancestors which reveals that long before recorded history, Neanderthals were capable of leaving symbolic marks. Thus, it challenges long-held assumptions about their behavior and suggests that they possessed a capacity for abstract thought and artistic expression much earlier than previously believed.
The
oldest human fingerprint
Neanderthal found in Spain
A red ocher dot on a face-shaped rock in Spain which is dated to about 43,000 years ago may be the oldest known human fingerprint and one of Europe's earliest symbolic artifacts.
It was left by a Neanderthal, which is our closest extinct human relative who lived in Europe for thousands of years before disappearing around 40,000 years ago, this mark is believed to represent a nose on the rock's facial features. The discovery challenges the long-held belief that Neanderthals lacked the ability to create symbolic art.
Scientist's view on Neanderthal
Scientists in Spain have uncovered what they believe is the oldest complete human fingerprint on a rock that resembles a face, indicating Neanderthals may have created art.
Around 43,000 years ago, a Neanderthal likely dipped his finger in red pigment to paint a nose on the pebble. The mark was found in a San Lázaro rock shelter in Segovia, The carefully placed dot is seen by researchers as evidence of Neanderthals' symbolic thinking and ability to engage in abstract behavior.
According to BBC reports, the excavation at the San Lázaro shelter began five years ago, and in 2022, they discovered the stone beneath 1.5 meters of sediment linked to Neanderthal groups.
'At first, we couldn't believe what we saw—a larger stone among others at the site with a red dot in the center resembling a human face,' he said. Initially unsure if the dot was ochre, a natural pigment, the team confirmed its composition and enlisted Spain's scientific police for further analysis. Using multi-spectrum techniques, they identified a fingerprint on the stone, likely belonging to an adult male.
However, archaeologist David Álvarez Alonso, co-author of the study, cautioned that without other Neanderthal fingerprints for comparison, certainty is difficult.
Discovery of Neanderthal
This is also the first time a stone with a red ochre mark has been discovered in such a context, suggesting Neanderthals intentionally brought the stone to the shelter. Prof. Alonso explained that a Neanderthal likely noticed the stone's unique fissures and deliberately applied the ochre stain in its center. Researchers argue the mark was deliberate since red pigment doesn't occur naturally in the shelter and had to be brought there.In their paper published in
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
, they describe the pebble as exceptional and consider it a visual symbol, possibly a piece of portable art in certain contexts.
Qualities of Neanderthal
There are various qualities of Neanderthal that attracted scientists towards it. Some of them are:
The red ocher dot at the center of the stone's surface is clearly man-made and not natural. Neanderthal cave art often used this pigment, commonly featuring patterns of dots.
The stone itself is unusual as researchers found no signs of wear or use as a tool and its size and shape differ from typical stones used for practical purposes at the site. Some indentations appear natural, but others show subtle signs of deliberate shaping.
Made of quartz-rich granite, a rare material locally but found upstream about 5 km away, the stone likely was carried to the site by a Neanderthal, as natural river transport was ruled out.
Viewed as a non-functional, intentionally altered object, the stone reveals faint facial features.
Ongoing research by scientists
Using 3D laser scanning and microtopography, along with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), researchers identified the ocher as iron oxide applied without a binding substance. Multispectral imaging uncovered a dermatoglyphic pattern in the pigment, which forensic experts later confirmed as a human fingerprint, showing detailed ridge patterns, splits, and convergence points. Statistical analysis dismissed the idea of random placement, with Monte Carlo simulations showing only a 0.31% likelihood that the red dot's symmetrical position between two indentations happened by chance.
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