The Chauvet Cave (Grotte Chauvet-Pont d'Arc) in France houses one of the oldest documented figurative art in world history. New research debunked its estimated age and discovered the artworks were actually 10,000 years older than first thought.
Initial studies theorized that the first wave of paintings was created 36,000 years ago, while the second wave was done 5,000 years later.
A new study has utilized 259 radiocarbon dates to create an updated and more precise timeline for the art etched on the rocks.
Scientists said the ancient humans worked on the first wave 37,000 to 33,500 years ago. The activity stopped when a rock fell into one of the cave's sections.
The next wave of ancient human occupation wrapped up the second wave roughly 31,000 to 28,000 years ago. The research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science journal.
An analysis of the animal bones found in the cave also revealed that they belonged to cave bears. Studies found no human bones in Chauvet Cave. Researchers speculated that ancient humans did not live in the cave, but rather visited from time to time to, perhaps, create art.
The Chauvet Cave was discovered in 1994 by a team of amateur spelunkers. The cave is located in Southern France near the Ardeche River.
The figurative artwork consists of more than 1,000 images that include 447 depictions of animals such as rhinos, horses and the extinct auroch.
As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Chauvet Cave has enjoyed attention from the international community in the last few years, but it seems that researchers have more to learn about the cave's secrets.
The researchers have only analyzed the black paintings in Chauvet Cave. They have yet to conduct modern dating techniques on the red paintings. At present, the team cannot say if the both paintings share the same updated timeline.
The artwork in Chauvet Cave showed great detail and skill, which were much higher compared to estimated skills set that ancient humans were believed to have at this point in time.
Moreover, the new timeline suggested that historians need to update the period wherein ancient humans first developed the skills to paint on cave walls.
