L'analyse des pigments hématiques confirme l'art de la grotte vieille de 15 000 ans au Pays de Galles

Red pigment lines inside the Bacon Hole cave in Wales represent deliberate human activity dating back at least 15,000 years. While geological features like iron oxide deposits have long been used to dismiss these markings as natural, recent spectroscopic analysis confirms they were applied using hematite.

Spectroscopy Distinguishes Art from Geology

Archaeologists conducting expeditions between 2022 and 2024 utilized high-definition photography, color filter algorithms, and spectroscopes to re-examine the site. By comparing samples from the markings against nearby rocks and natural iron oxide deposits, the team identified that the lines were specifically composed of hematite pigment. This finding directly counters the long-held scientific consensus that the red streaks were merely accidental geological staining.

Photographic evidence further supports the anthropogenic origin of the marks. The painted lines are arranged in an equidistant, structured pattern, which researchers noted indicates a deliberate and organized arrangement rather than the random distribution characteristic of natural mineral seepage.

Vindication of Early Paleolithic Theories

This discovery provides late-stage vindication for William Sollas and Henri Breuil, who first documented the ten red lines in 1912. At the time, the pair theorized the markings might be the oldest examples of Upper Paleolithic art in the British Isles. Despite their early documentation, the scientific community largely dismissed their claims in favor of natural phenomena explanations, a skepticism compounded by historical graffiti at the site.

The recent study, published in the journal Quaternary, suggests the markings were made roughly 15,000 years ago. While researchers caution that further study is required to definitively pin down the exact age, the evidence of structured, pigment-based activity is conclusive. This confirmation shifts our understanding of prehistoric human occupation and artistic expression within the British Isles during the late Pleistocene.

Source: Oldest cave art in the U.K. discovered inside Welsh cave
Domain: scientificamerican.com