🧬🗿 Tracing Minds of the Past: Oldest Known Human Fingerprint Uncovered in Spain Sheds Light on Neanderthal Symbolic Thinking

In a groundbreaking discovery at the Abrigo de San Lázaro archaeological site in Segovia, Spain, researchers have identified what is now considered the oldest complete human fingerprint ever recorded. Estimated to be around 43,000 years old, the fingerprint was found impressed in red ochre on a granite stone and is attributed to a Neanderthal individual. The multidisciplinary team employed high-resolution 3D scanning, electron microscopy, and multispectral analysis to confirm the fingerprint's authenticity and its deliberate application.

Unlike utilitarian artifacts, the object showed no signs of functional use, leading scientists to interpret it as a symbolic act-possibly ritualistic or artistic in nature. This finding adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that Neanderthals possessed cognitive capabilities and symbolic expression previously thought exclusive to Homo sapiens. It challenges longstanding stereotypes and highlights the complexity of Neanderthal culture in prehistoric Europe.

Beyond its scientific significance, the discovery invites us to reexamine the boundaries of human creativity and cognition, bridging archaeology and anthropology in the quest to understand our ancient relatives.

Source: National Geographic History. (2025). Oldest Known Human Fingerprint Found in Segovia, Spain.

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