Direct radiocarbon dates for prehistoric paintings at
the Altamira, El Castillo and Niaux caves

H. Valladas, H. Cachier, P. Maurice, F. Bernaldo de
Quirost, J. Clottes, V. Cabrera Valdés,
P. Uzquiano & M. Arnold

http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v357/n6373/abs/3\
57068a0.html

AMONG things that most strikingly distinguish modern
humans from other hominids and the rest of the animal
kingdom is the ability to represent things and events
pictorially. Complex paintings of the type discovered
in the Altamira, El Castillo, Niaux and Lascaux caves
represent an important stepping stone in the cultural
evolution of humankind. Until now dates were derived
from style or dated remains left by prehistoric
visitors and could be biased by prolonged occupation
or visits unrelated to painting activity. Here we
report the first radiocarbon dates for the charcoal
used to draw stylistically similar bisons in these
caves: 14,000 ± 400 yr BP in the Spanish caves of
Altamira, 12,990 ± 200 yr BP in El Castillo, and
12,890 ± 160 yr BP for a bison of different style in
the French Pyrenean cave of Niaux. Our results
demonstrate the imprecise nature of stylistic dating
and show that painting dates derived from remains of
human activities should be used with caution.




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