LONDON — Long dismissed as a natural anomaly, the red stripes on Welsh rocks have been revealed as the oldest known prehistoric art in Britain and northwestern Europe. Recent research indicates these markings were made by human fingers approximately 17,100 years ago.
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An international research team has re-evaluated Bacon Hole, a cave located near Mumbles in South Wales, focusing on a series of red pigment stripes first discovered in 1912.
Initially identified as prehistoric art by Professors William Sollas and Henri Breuil in 1912, these markings were later dismissed as natural occurrences resulting from mineral deposits, according to the study.
“This invaluable panel became a footnote in history, forgotten by the academic community,” said George Harold Nash, an archaeologist and prehistoric art specialist leading the research, in correspondence with NBC News.
Provided by George Harold Nash
More than a century later, the original interpretation has been vindicated.
A study published in the journal Quaternary on Monday by Nash and the First-Art team concluded that “the pigmented lines were intentionally created by humans, not formed through natural processes.”
This previously ignored red stripe art represents the oldest known cave art in Britain and northwestern Europe.
Nash expressed his exhilaration upon discovering this, noting it was “deeply moving” to stand before the painted panel that had been rediscovered after more than a century.
“It was a remarkable experience to see a panel that was forgotten yet rediscovered in its original context,” he stated.
A collaborative team of scientists and researchers from China, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Wales employed advanced dating methods to analyze pigment samples and compare them with cave observations.
The evenly spaced horizontal lines of red pigment indicate a “deliberate, structured pattern,” according to the research findings.
Provided by George Harold Nash
Evidence suggests the pigment was applied using fingers, aligning with the original findings of Breuil and Sollas.
To grasp the significance of this artwork, Nash emphasized that “throughout Europe, cave paintings are often linked to ritualistic practices, symbolic expressions, and belief systems.”
The paper notes that the full significance of these marks was overlooked for many years, partly due to graffiti from a local fisherman in 1894 complicating interpretations.
When this imprint was first made around 17,100 years ago, the landscape was recovering from an ice age that rendered the area largely uninhabitable. At that time, Bacon Hole and other nearby caves “offered suitable habitats for hunter-gatherer groups,” according to the study’s authors.
“These caves were not merely shelters; they held cultural significance,” Nash stated, adding that while the motivation behind Ice Age art remains elusive, “the positioning of these artworks deep within cave environments indicates a meaning that transcended daily life.”
Today, Bacon Hole, situated in a limestone cliff with a view of the Bristol Channel, is managed by National Trust Wales, collaborating with the Bradshaw Foundation to fund ongoing scientific research at the site.
The National Trust for Wales is expected to formally announce its findings on Tuesday, though Bacon Hall has not yet been officially recognized as a site of significance.
Mr. Nash has called for the highest level of legal protection for the site, asserting that “prehistoric art is a rare and fragile element of our archaeological heritage.”
“Once it is damaged or destroyed, it cannot be replaced,” he cautioned.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
