news

Oldest Paintings in the World now over 65,000 years old
by Stephen Alvarez|March 1, 2018|Europe, news
Gallery C of La Pasiega cave in Monte Castillo. The big news this week in Anthropology is that a species besides humans seems to have painted. Dirk Hoffman and Allistair Pike have published an article in the journal Science that dates the paintings to well over 65,000 years ago. That is 25,000 years older than previously dated art from Spain and Indonesia. 65,000 years ago the only known species that could have made the paintings are Neanderthals. The dates come from three caves widely separated in Spain. This is a stunning development in the world of art history. Hoffman and Pike explain their results in the video below. You can reach the Science article here. In this video from National Geographic shot in 2014 Allistair Pike discusses his belief that Neanderthals could have made art.
The Dogs of Saudi Arabia first images of domesticated dogs
by Stephen Alvarez|December 12, 2017|news
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAGprHaKAZo&feature=youtu.be A rock art panel from Saudi Arabia may well be the oldest record of domesticated dogs. Maria Guagnin has been working on engravings in the Shuwaymis Hills of northwestern Saudi Arabia. She has cataloged over 1400 images from the region including what may be dogs on a leash. This article in Science lays out her work. Rock art is notoriously hard to date, but if her dates are accurate these engravings are likely 8,000 - 9,000 years old. That edges out Iranian depictions of mans best friend by 1,000 years.  
Ancient Pueblo Rock Art Eclipse on Live Science
by Stephen Alvarez|August 16, 2017|news
Live Science has an excellent discussion of a solar eclipse depicted as rock art in Chaco Canyon. The image was discovered by McKim Malville in Chaco Canyon during a field trip in 1992. The image may describe the eclipse of July 11, 1097. Read the whole article here.  
Chauvet Pont d’Arc the discovery of 36,000-year-old art
September 12 talk in London
by Stephen Alvarez|August 14, 2017|news
Countless tales are hidden in our ancestors' oldest caves. National Geographic Explorer & Photographer Stephen Alvarez is hosting a one-day talk and photo exhibit and would like you to join him on a journey back in time to our ancestor’s prehistoric lives.
Ancient Art in the Game of Thrones
by Stephen Alvarez|August 11, 2017|news
In a scene that could almost have come out of an Ancient Art Archive presentation, Jon and Daenerys view ancient art in a cave. "They  were right here, standing where we are standing..." The art bit starts around 2:40. Now to my eye, those engravings look a little too fresh to be ancient, and Jon Snow's motives might not make him the most objective observer. If I were Daenerys I wouldn't assume that they were genuinely old until the Uranium / Thorium or Carbon 14 dates came back and were peer reviewed.
DNA is reshaping our view of ourselves
DNA is reshaping our view of ourselves
by Stephen Alvarez|July 13, 2017|dna, news
The story of human migration from Africa into the rest of the world is the original story of exploration. Those first people who walked out of Africa and into the vast unpopulated world told their story of exploration on rock and cave walls as they went. The timeline for that tale has been refined by looking at the DNA our ancestors left behind (more on that in another post). But that same DNA is also showing that the human migration is not as straightforward as we once believed. Prevailing evidence is that modern humans expanded out from Africa between 70,000 and 50,000 BP. Our ancestors encountered and replaced dwindling Neanderthal populations in Europe. However, some Neanderthal lives on in us. With the exception of native Africans, most people have up to 2% Neanderthal DNA. That story got a bit more muddled this month. A study published in Nature Communications -summarized nicely...
Bulls painted in Altamira Cave
Pointillism is 38,000 years old. We have invented nothing
by Stephen Alvarez|March 9, 2017|36000 BP, age, Altamira, Aurignacian, cave art, Gravettian, news, Rock Art, Spain
Pointillism is 38,000 years old. We have invented nothing.