Researchers Discover 43,000-Year-Old Neanderthal Fingerprint in Spain

Archaeologists have discovered the world's oldest known human fingerprint on a granite pebble at the San Lázaro rock shelter in central Spain, estimated to be about 43,000 years old. This fingerprint, left in red ocher pigment, is attributed to a Neanderthal and is found on a pebble that appears deliberately selected and marked, possibly representing a rudimentary human face with a red dot symbolizing a nose. The find challenges previous assumptions about Neanderthal cognitive abilities, indicating their capacity for symbolic thought, abstraction, and art. Detailed scientific analyses, including 3D scanning and forensic examination, confirm the fingerprint's authenticity and the deliberate application of ocher. The pebble's features and transport from a distant river suggest intentionality beyond utilitarian use, highlighting Neanderthal symbolic behavior during a period when Homo sapiens were not present in the region. This discovery adds to growing evidence that Neanderthals engaged in complex symbolic practices long before modern humans arrived in Europe.