For the first time, the exact age of the cave paintings was established in the Fond de Gome cave.
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- For the first time, the exact age of the cave paintings was established in the Fond de Gome cave.
For the first time, scientists have established the exact age of prehistoric rock carvings in the famous Font-de-Gaume cave, located in the Dordogne department in southwestern France. The results of the study were reported by Science Daily on July 28.
The researchers were able to obtain exact dates for two black images — a bison and a figure resembling a mask. It turned out that parts of these works of art were created in different periods, significantly distant from each other. For a long time, it was believed that the dark pigments in this region consist exclusively of iron and manganese oxides, which do not contain the organic carbon needed for radiocarbon dating.
However, an analysis of the chemical composition showed the presence of traces of charcoal in the paints. The uniform distribution of charcoal along the lines of the drawing, in turn, confirmed that it is part of the original pigment, and not a late contamination.
After confirming the presence of coal, the scientists received permission to take microscopic samples for carbon-14 analysis. According to the results, the image of the bison was created between 13 461 and 13 162 BC, which corresponds to the Upper Paleolithic era. This date turned out to be somewhat later than previously expected.
The study of the mask image has brought even more complex results. Samples from different parts of the same figure showed three different time ranges. One fragment dates from 8,993 to 8,590 years ago, another from 15,981 to 15,121 years ago, and the third from 15,297 to 14,246 years ago.
According to the researchers, the results suggest that the image may contain elements created in different time periods. Thus, the rock mask could have been created not by one artist in one visit, but over several episodes of creative activity separated by thousands of years. According to the publication, this discovery changes the way we think about prehistoric art: caves could remain significant places that subsequent communities visited, supplemented, or reinterpreted.
On July 19, Live Science magazine reported the discovery of a 1,000-year-old ritual mask with human hair in Peru. According to the researchers, it was created from wood by representatives of the pre-Inca Changkai culture and decorated with a textile bandage. According to the publication, the artifact served as a "false head" for ritual burials on the central coast of the country.
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