International experts gathered to decide whether the cave drawings in the Cuevas de Nerja belong to Neanderthal man or not. Carbon dating carried out in January 2012 put them around 43,500 years old.
Until now, it was thought that they were drawn by homo sapiens and it is questioned whether Neanderthals were capable of creating such expressions of art, which is why all these international experts on the subject got together in Nerja at the beginning of this month.
Around 100 experts from six different countries, spread over five continents, took part in the III Encuentro Internacional de Doctorados y Postdoctorados: ‘El Arte de las Sociedades Prehistóricas‘ at the Museo de Nerja.
The task in hand is the establishment of a common international protocol for carrying out cave-drawing dating.
“This isn’t a race to see who can come up with the oldest cave drawing in the world, because first we have to establish a method; and and agreed system for everybody, to avoid discussions, controversies and sterile confrontations, because dating techniques are continually advancing,” explained the university professor chairing the meeting, José Luis Sanchidrián.
Until now the drawings in the Chauvet Caves in France were thought to be the second oldest, dating back 32,000 years. The oldest are the Cave of El Castillo in northern Spain.
(News: Maro/Nerja, Axarquia, Costa de Sol, Malaga, Andalucia)