Archaeologists have conducted a series of studies in Spain and made a sensational discovery. Rock carvings in the Spanish Altamira caves and El Castillo was the most ancient in Europe - their age exceeds 40 thousand years.
Perhaps these images were made even the Neanderthals
Previously, scientists found it difficult to accurately date the drawings and identify species and cultural identity of an ancient artist due to the imperfection of methods used
Moreover, in one area at one time could co-exist and the CRO-magnon and Neanderthal men. And now scientists have mastered a new method of Dating is the ratio of the isotopes of thorium and uranium in samples.





Thanks to the new method of the scientists found that in the caves on the banks of the Bay of Biscay, rock art was more ancient than was previously thought.
So, the red circle in El Castillo not less 40,8 thousand years, and the handprint and stripes - 35-37 thousand years. It is 4 thousand years earlier than the image in the French caves Shwe and Castang
However, the question of who has drawn them remains open.
Scientists suggest that the first modern humans appeared in Northern Spain, or were able to draw upon migration to Europe, or learned it in competition with Neanderthals.