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Humans

Did rock art spread from one place or was it invented many times?

Rock art is a truly global phenomenon, with discoveries of cave paintings and etchings on every continent that ancient humans inhabited – but how many times was it invented over human history?

By Michael Marshall

14 June 2024

Inside the Umm Jirsan lava-tube cave, researchers have found evidence of human occupation dating back 10,000 years. Credit: Green Arabia Project. Supplied by Carley Rosengreen c.rosengreen@griffith.edu.au

Ancient humans occupied the Umm Jirsan lava-tube cave in Saudi Arabia

Green Arabia Project

This is an extract from Our Human Story, our newsletter about the revolution in archaeology. Sign up to receive it in your inbox for free every month.

The study of rock art, especially cave paintings, used to be strongly focused on Europe. But in recent years, it has expanded after major discoveries in Indonesia and mainland Asia. One of the latest additions to the scientific record comes in the form of giant snakes found in South America.

Along the Orinoco river in Colombia and Venezuela,…

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