Striped rock dismissed as natural in 1928 reclassified as UK’s oldest cave art
Summary
New scientific tests have confirmed that red marks found in a cave in south Wales are 17,100 years old, making them the oldest known cave art in the UK and north-western Europe. Originally discovered in 1912, the marks were dismissed as natural mineral stains in 1928, but new analysis shows they were intentionally made by humans using pigments.Key Facts
- Red bands on rock walls in Bacon Hole cave near the Mumbles were first reported as prehistoric art in 1912.
- By 1928, experts thought the markings were natural red oxide minerals, not art.
- Modern uranium-thorium dating shows the pigment is about 17,100 years old.
- This makes it the oldest cave art found in Britain and north-western Europe.
- The marks are horizontal, evenly spaced, and made with finger-applied pigments.
- The cave is part of limestone cliffs on south Gower, near the Bristol Channel.
- The site is currently managed by the National Trust of Wales but is not yet officially protected as a historic monument.
- Researchers say the cave was likely used by hunter-fisher-gatherer people after the last Ice Age ended.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.