Archaeologists in Spain have uncovered what could be the oldest known rock carvings made by humans likely over 200,000 years old – a find that could transform our understanding of human presence in Europe.
Researchers reported the discovery of a simple ‘X’ shaped graphic design on a stone block during an archaeological excavation at the Coto Correa site in the Las Chapas district of Southern Spain’s Marbella municipality.
Previous digs in and around the site had uncovered some of the oldest stone tools found in Europe dating back to the early Paleolithic era.
Subsequent excavations in the district have unravelled more early human stone tools helping date the site.
One of these discoveries includes a giant block of stone found in 2022, which stands out with simple line engravings.
These line carvings confirm the presence of settlers in southern Spain during the Early Middle Paleolithic, “a period little known in Spain and unprecedented in the province of Malaga”, according to researchers.
The engravings on the stone could also be the oldest known carvings made by humans, researchers say.
Until now, the earliest known stone tools date from between 1,500,000 to 100,000 BC, confirming the presence of prehistoric humans in the Marbella region during a period when modern humans began migrating out of Africa.
However, early analysis of the giant block of stone suggests the carvings could be about 200,000 years old, likely predating the oldest known cave art by 100,000 years.
“This unique stone, which contains a set of graphic representations of human origin could be 100,000 years older than the oldest cave art depictions,” the Marbella City Council said in a statement.
Scientists are conducting further assessments to confirm the dating of the stone and the carving.
“The techniques applied for absolute dating consist of quartz analysis of different sediment samples, which will allow for a precise chronology of the samples,” the city council said.
Researchers also hope to conduct a high-resolution 3D scanning of the rock to obtain a virtual composite of the set of marks.
“This will allow the entire surface to be studied in maximum detail, allowing for the identification of working marks and graphic elements,” the Marbella City Council said.
The Stone Age humans who made these markings were likely part of an early wave of human migrants leaving Africa and into Europe, scientists suspect.
If confirmed to be the oldest human-made rock carvings, the Coto Correa site could become key to understanding human migration and settlement across the continent, they say.