Archaeological Deep Analysis
A new study at Paleolithic rock art sites in Spain and Portugal has shown that ancient human DNA can be recovered from cave walls and from the pigments used in rock paintings. As part of the research, a total of 54 samples were collected from 24 rock art panels in 11 caves across the Iberian Peninsula. The results have been published in the journal Nature Communications.[1][2] The study forms part of the multinational First Art project, carried out in Spain and Portugal with researchers based in Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, China, Germany and Italy. The project focuses on dating Europe’s earliest rock paintings and investigating the chemical composition of the materials used to create them. In collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, this framework was extended to test whether DNA is preserved on cave walls and in pigments.[1][3] The researchers identified both mitochondrial and nuclear human DNA in some of the pigment samples and calcite crusts. In particular, samples taken from a calcite crust close to the paint layer in Escoural Cave in Portugal, which contained only human DNA, suggest, in the researchers’ interpretation, that these genetic traces may have come from individuals in direct contact with the wall. By contrast, the presence of both human and animal DNA in some unpainted samples from Escoural and from Covarón Cave in Spain indicates that these traces may have been transported to the wall surfaces indirectly through sediments and deposits.[4][2] The scientists stress that the recovered DNA cannot at this stage be directly linked to the individuals who created the paintings. The genetic traces could stem from the artists, but they might equally derive from other people who touched the wall, passed close to it or visited the cave at a later time. Even so, the findings support a new approach that adds rock art surfaces to the traditional sources for ancient DNA studies, which have largely focused on cave-floor sediments, bones and stone tools.[5][6] According to the researchers, as this method is refined, questions about the diversity of the communities using the caves, the possible profiles of different individuals who came into contact with the art, and patterns of continuity or change over time could be explored in more detail using genetic data obtained directly from the surfaces bearing the rock paintings. The study lays the groundwork for considering rock art not only as a visual record but also as an archive capable of preserving biological information.
Key Findings
- Ancient human DNA was identified in some of the 54 samples taken from 24 rock art panels in 11 caves in Spain and Portugal.
- The presence of exclusively human DNA in certain pigment samples and calcite crusts suggests that these genetic traces may derive from individuals who were in direct contact with the wall.
- In other samples, human and animal DNA were found mixed together, pointing to the possibility that DNA was transported indirectly to the wall surface via sediments and deposits.
- The study shows that cave walls and rock art surfaces, like bones and cave-floor sediments, can serve as a viable source of ancient DNA.
Historical Context and Links to the Past
Until now, ancient DNA research has focused primarily on skeletal remains, occupation-floor sediments and biological residues adhering to tools. In recent years, DNA recovered from cave infill, chewed materials and residues on personal objects has demonstrated that environmental materials can also preserve information about past communities.[5][2] The new study broadens this framework by treating rock art surfaces as a potential genetic archive. Analyses carried out within the First Art project bring together questions of rock art dating, pigment chemistry and DNA preservation. This multidisciplinary approach is seen as part of a long-term research program aimed at understanding both the material culture and the biological diversity of Paleolithic communities on the Iberian Peninsula.[1][3]
Archaeologist’s Note
This study adds a new dimension to the investigation of Paleolithic rock art, which has so far centered largely on iconography, technique and dating, by introducing genetic data into the discussion. The ability to recover human DNA from cave walls makes it possible to pose more detailed questions about the communities that used these caves and the individuals who came into contact with these spaces. However, as the researchers emphasize, it is not yet possible to distinguish whether the DNA belongs to the artists themselves, to other users of the caves from the same period, or to later visitors, so the findings are being interpreted with caution.[5][6] In the coming years, analyses based on larger sample sets from a wider range of caves, together with improved contamination controls, will determine how reproducible and reliable this method can be. If the approach proves robust, questions about which human groups were present in a region at the time rock art was produced and about possible relationships between those groups could be explored using genetic data obtained directly from surfaces associated with the paintings. This points to the emergence of a new research field at the intersection of archaeogenetics and art history.
Sources and Further Reading
- [1] Human DNA in Cave Paintings Can Survive For Millennia, Study Finds. hyperallergic.com. Orijinal Kaynağa Git
- [2] Investigating ancient human DNA preservation on cave walls and in rock art | Nature Communications. nature.com. Orijinal Kaynağa Git
- [3] Ancient DNA found on cave walls | Max-Planck-Gesellschaft. mpg.de. Orijinal Kaynağa Git
- [4] Ancient human DNA found on cave art for the first time | New Scientist. newscientist.com. Orijinal Kaynağa Git
- [5] In a Scientific First, Researchers Recovered Ancient DNA That Humans Left Behind on Rock Art and Cave Walls. smithsonianmag.com. Orijinal Kaynağa Git
- [6] In a first, scientists extract ancient human DNA from cave walls | National Geographic. nationalgeographic.com. Orijinal Kaynağa Git