Is the 200 kya Las Chapas Stone the Earliest Known Case of Rock Art?
From The Observatory
Source: Dig Labs Project
A potential discovery at the Coto Correa archaeological site in Spain could rewrite the history of human cognition.
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We hope you find this article useful—it’s an ongoing Observatory research project that will be updated.
If you have expertise or insight on the topic that you think could be useful, please send us a note.
Note to reader:
We hope you find this article useful—it’s an ongoing Observatory research project that will be updated.
If you have expertise or insight on the topic that you think could be useful, please send us a note.
We hope you find this article useful—it’s an ongoing Observatory research project that will be updated.
If you have expertise or insight on the topic that you think could be useful, please send us a note.
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Introduction

A potential discovery at the Coto Correa archaeological site in Spain could rewrite the history of human cognition. The "Las Chapas Stone" features carvings that may date back 200,000 years, effectively doubling the age of the world's oldest known rock art. If these dates are confirmed, it suggests that Paleolithic communities were engaging in symbolic expression long before the arrival of Homo sapiens in Europe.
