In the Italian cave Romanelli found works of art created in the Stone Age, reports the Daily Mail, citing Antiquity magazine.
The researchers also found that representatives of Homo sapiens lived there from about 14 to 11 thousand years ago.
For the first time, scientists discovered rock paintings in the cave in 1905. However, the following significant discoveries were made only in our days. A detailed study of Romanelli began in 2016, during which archaeologists documented several previously unnoticed images.
Among the finds are geometric patterns that have been traced with a finger over “moon milk” – a soft white material that accumulates in limestone caves. They also found a drawing of a bird.
Despite the fact that some of the images deteriorated over time, they can still be used to assess the level of skill of prehistoric artists. They used different tools, depending on which surface they were painting on. An image of a bison, for example, in a cave was positioned to create a 3D effect.
According to the researchers, the recently found artifacts, along with the previously discovered ones, have much in common with rock paintings from Italy, France, Spain and Azerbaijan.
“They confirm the existence of a common visual heritage across a vast area of Eurasia during the Late Upper Paleolithic,” said Dario Sigari of the University of Ferrara.
In his opinion, the discovery raises “new questions about social dynamics and the spread of common iconographic motives in the Mediterranean basin.”
He noted that there are some indications that this legacy may extend to North Africa and the Caucasus.