2 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Neanderthal Fingerprint on 50,000-Year-Old Pebble Could Be Europe’s Oldest Portable Artwork

New analysis reveals that a pebble marked with ochre and a fingerprint could be the earliest known example of transportable art in European prehistory.

In an extraordinary discovery that reshapes our understanding of early symbolic behavior, archaeologists in Spain have uncovered what may be the oldest painted portable object ever found in Europe. A small pebble, marked with red ochre and bearing a partial human fingerprint—believed to be that of a Neanderthal—has been identified as a potential piece of transportable art dating back around 50,000 years.

Unearthed at the San Lázaro rock-shelter in Segovia, Central Spain, this object may be the oldest known piece of painted portable art in Europe and provides striking evidence of Neanderthal symbolic behavior.

At first glance, the artifact appears to be an ordinary river pebble. But under detailed scientific analysis, it reveals a carefully placed red ochre dot and, remarkably, a partial fingerprint embedded in the pigment layer. Multispectral imaging and dermatoglyphic analysis suggest that the mark is not accidental but the result of deliberate application, pointing to intentional symbolism rather than utilitarian function.

According to Professor María de Andrés-Herrero of the Complutense University of Madrid, who co-authored the study, the pebble was discovered in 2022 beneath approximately 1.5 meters of sediment. The sediment layer is believed to have been deposited by Neanderthal groups that inhabited the region during the Middle Paleolithic. Interestingly, the pebble’s geological origin traces back to the Eresma River, located over five kilometers from the San Lázaro site—indicating that it was deliberately transported, possibly for its shape, texture, or symbolic potential.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



A. View of San Lázaro rock-shelter during the excavations. B. San Lázaro rock-shelter at the conclusion of the 2022 excavation. Credit: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1007/s12520-025-02243-1
A. View of San Lázaro rock-shelter during the excavations. B. San Lázaro rock-shelter at the conclusion of the 2022 excavation. Credit: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1007/s12520-025-02243-1

Potentially the Oldest Portable Art in Europe

At a press conference, Spanish heritage official Gonzalo Santonja emphasized the find’s significance, stating it “may be the oldest painted portable object ever discovered in Europe.” He added that it could also be the only known example of transportable art made by Neanderthals—an idea that challenges conventional notions of their cognitive capabilities and creative expression.

The discovery has sparked global interest in prehistoric studies, as it suggests a previously unrecognized depth of Neanderthal symbolic behavior. The use of pigment combined with a fingerprint implies a deliberate act, one that may have held ritual, communicative, or artistic meaning.

Redefining Neanderthal Intelligence

For decades, Neanderthals were depicted as cognitively inferior to Homo sapiens—brutish survivors incapable of art or symbolism. However, this finding joins a growing body of archaeological evidence suggesting otherwise. Previous discoveries, including cave paintings, shell ornaments, and burial practices, have already suggested complex symbolic behavior. However, the San Lázaro pebble—with its human touch preserved in ochre—offers an unprecedented level of intimacy with Neanderthal expression.

The intentional application of pigment and the act of leaving a fingerprint imply a self-awareness and desire to leave a mark—literally and metaphorically. These actions suggest an advanced cognitive capacity for symbolic thought, abstract reasoning, and possibly even ritual behavior, once thought exclusive to Homo sapiens.

A New Chapter in Human Evolution

The significance of this archaeological discovery extends beyond Neanderthal studies. It prompts broader questions about the origins of symbolic behavior in early humans and the diversity of cultural expression in prehistoric Europe. Could symbolic behavior have evolved independently in different hominin species? Or was there a shared cultural heritage among coexisting human groups?

If Neanderthals were capable of creating symbolic portable art, then the emergence of culture must be viewed as a more complex and widespread process than previously believed. This opens the door to reevaluating other Middle Paleolithic finds under a symbolic lens.

Dermatoglyphic image obtained by the multispectral analysis of the red dot. Credit: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1007/s12520-025-02243-1
Dermatoglyphic image obtained by the multispectral analysis of the red dot. Credit: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1007/s12520-025-02243-1

Looking Forward: More to Discover

The San Lázaro site is now a high-priority location for further archaeological excavation. Researchers hope to uncover additional artifacts that could offer more context about the cognitive and cultural life of Neanderthals. With the integration of cutting-edge technologies like 3D imaging and chemical residue analysis, future studies may reveal even more compelling evidence of Neanderthal creativity.

Conclusion

The ochre-stained pebble with a Neanderthal fingerprint is not just a historic find—it is a narrative stone, echoing the inner life of a species once dismissed as incapable of symbolic thought. As science continues to shed light on Neanderthal behavior, the line between “them” and “us” grows increasingly blurred.

This simple pebble, carried miles from its riverbed and marked with ochre by a Neanderthal hand, is not just a relic—it is a message from the deep past. It forces us to reconsider what it means to be human and reminds us that the roots of art, culture, and identity may run far deeper—and broader—than once imagined.

A. The object, still buried, waits quietly beneath layers of time.B. Once unearthed, three cavities and a red dot at the center hint at a purposeful human touch. Credit: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1007/s12520-025-02243-1
A. The object, still buried, waits quietly beneath layers of time.B. Once unearthed, three cavities and a red dot at the center hint at a purposeful human touch. Credit: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1007/s12520-025-02243-1

This discovery marks a pivotal moment in human prehistory and invites us to appreciate the richness and depth of Neanderthal culture. It is a profound reminder that the roots of human creativity and expression may stretch further back—and across more branches of our evolutionary family—than we ever imagined.

Álvarez-Alonso, D., de Andrés-Herrero, M., Díez-Herrero, A. et al. More than a fingerprint on a pebble: A pigment-marked object from San Lázaro rock-shelter in the context of Neanderthal symbolic behavior. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 17, 131 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-025-02243-1

Cover Image Credit: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1007/s12520-025-02243-1

Related Articles

Venice of the Pacific: The mysterious Micronesian ruins of Nan Madol

12 July 2022

12 July 2022

Sometimes art and architecture challenge our perceptions of what was formerly thought to be feasible and what our forefathers were...

The excavation, which started in a cave in Turkey’s Mardin, turned into a huge underground city

19 April 2022

19 April 2022

In an underground city known used as a settlement in the early Christian era, in the Midyat district of Mardin,...

Archaeologists may have uncovered a 13th-century castle in Shropshire

7 August 2021

7 August 2021

Archaeologists have been working on a mound of land in Wem, Shropshire, that belongs to Soulton Hall, Elizabethan mansion and...

The museum’s “Oscar” Awards had Received this Year by the Troy Museum and the Odunpazarı Modern Museum

11 May 2021

11 May 2021

At the European Museum of the Year Awards (EMYA) online ceremony on May 6, Turkey’s renowned Troy Museum and Odunpazar...

A 500-year-old mural linked to an Aztec god was found under layers of paint in Mexican Church

15 October 2022

15 October 2022

A mural of an Aztec rabbit God of alcohol is not something anyone expects to see inside a church, but...

Lost sketches by Leonardo Da Vinci show that he understood gravity long before Newton

19 February 2023

19 February 2023

Leonardo da Vinci’s centuries-old sketches show that he may have understood key aspects of gravity long before Galileo, Newton, and...

Ancient Synagogue found in Turkey’s popular tourist center Side

27 December 2021

27 December 2021

A 7th-century ancient synagogue has been found in Side, a resort town on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. The synagogue found was...

An unknown church with a special floor plan discovered in Erwitte, northwestern Germany

18 September 2023

18 September 2023

Archaeologists from the Westphalia-Lippe Regional Association (LWL) have discovered the remains of a former church from the 10th century near...

It may have been designed in Nevali Çori before Göbeklitepe was built

10 October 2021

10 October 2021

Göbeklitepe, Nevali Çori, Karahantepe, and Taştepeler, which will make us rethink what we know about human history, change the information...

A new study reveals that “Bog Bodies” were part of a Millennia-old tradition

10 January 2023

10 January 2023

Archaeologists have studied hundreds of ancient “Bog Bodies” discovered in Europe’s wetlands, revealing that they were part of a millennia-old...

1,500-year-old baptistery found in Kadı Castle-Anaia Mound in western Turkey

3 December 2021

3 December 2021

A baptistery, estimated to have been built in the 5th century AD, was unearthed in the Kadı Castle-Anaia Mound in...

Ancient scrolls reveal astonishing information about the life of a Nabatean woman, who lived in the first century AD in Petra

18 December 2023

18 December 2023

Petra was the capital of a powerful trading empire two thousand years ago. It was established by the Nabateans, a...

2100-year-old women skeleton found lying in bronze ‘Mermaid Bed’

4 June 2022

4 June 2022

Archaeologists have discovered the 2100-year-old skeleton of a woman lying in a bronze ‘Mermaid Bed’ near the city of Kozani...

The discovery that surprised archaeologists; a Rare glass cup adorning the table of rich Romans in Crimea

2 April 2022

2 April 2022

A discovery made in Frontovoye-3 necropolis in Crimea shows that during the Roman Empire there were more centers of glass...

1,800 years old Sewer system found in ancient city of Mastaura

17 May 2022

17 May 2022

Archaeologists found an 1800-year-old sewer system during excavations in the ancient city of Mastaura, in the Nazilli district of Aydın...