Why Did Humans Start Creating Cave Art Over 40,000 Years Ago? — Here’s What Experts Say

Have you ever seen an image of a cave art or painting made thousands of years ago? You probably think it was mostly for fun and entertainment, but is that all it really is for? More than 40,000 years ago, humans are believed to have begun creating art in their caves, including drawings of animals and symbols on stone walls.

However, what is tricky about these pieces of history is that the humans who created the cave art did not leave any written records or explanations of what they could mean. Because of this, experts had to rely on different contexts and factors that could influence how to interpret the prehistoric artistic creations. So, with this article, let’s explore what those interpretations, understandings, and ideas scientists and experts have about why cave art began.

What Kind of Cave Art Exists and How Old Is It?

Cave art refers to artistic creations of prehistoric individuals that are engraved in the walls of the stone caves. They could include paintings, engravings, handprints, and animal drawings. Scientists have found all these cave arts from different parts of the world, such as Spain, Indonesia, and more.

One prominent example is that of cave art located in Lubang Jeriji Saléh in Borneo, which showcases a clear painting of a bull and some hand stencils. It was estimated to be over 40,000 years old.

Another famous cave is in the Maros-Pangkep karst region of Sulawesi, Indonesia, which also has handprints and animal drawings. Just like in Borneo, these paintings are thought to be from a time over 40,000 years ago. There are also various cave art in Europe from around the same years or older.

So, if most of our recorded history of when cave arts were created, which is around 40,000 to 60,000 years ago, what exactly happened during that time for this tradition to begin? And, what does it tell us about our ancestors who were evolving for hundreds of thousands of years?

Read more: Discover Magazine

Why Might Humans Have Started Making Cave Art?

Cave Art 101 | National Geographic

There are various hypotheses about why cave art existed from over 40,000 years ago, when humans were mostly hunter-gatherers. First, it could be that it has spiritual and ceremonial purposes. The caves where art was discovered are mostly in remote and distant areas that were not the normal habitat of humans back then.

So, these caves could be a place where shamans and spiritual leaders pray and do their rituals. They may have painted the images they had in their heads during the event, which could explain why cave art mostly features animals and humans.

The cave arts may also have symbolic ceremonial meanings, where hunter-gatherers paint them for good luck and to pray or hope for a successful hunt. A few more reasons could be for social bonding, learning, and traditional storytelling.

The art mainly showcases the natural world, which tells us that they are depicting what’s on their mind, as these are the things they are usually aware of or live with, such as animals or humans. They could have used these depictions in order to tell a story or educate the younger ones about their world. In other words, it could be a form of communication in order to pass on their knowledge to the next generation.

However, it is important to emphasize that these are all hypotheses as to why humans began drawing on stone walls. They are not proven facts, but they are based on what we know about humans during this time. It could very well just end up being for entertainment and fun, and there’s no hidden meaning behind them. But most experts would still agree that they have some significant cultural symbolism and reasons for existing.

What Recent Discoveries Taught Us

Decades ago, it was widely believed that cave art and paintings mainly began in Europe during the Ice Age, around 35,000 to 40,000 years ago. However, the recent discoveries, such as the cave art mentioned above, showcased different cave art from all over the world, with an estimated age of over 40,000 years.

Experts also found some markings in Spain, which are dated to be over 64,000 years old, and scientists estimate the modern human species, Homo sapiens, only successfully migrated out of Africa around 50,000 to 70,000 years ago. In simpler words, it could be that other human species, such as Neanderthals, were the ones who created these older cave arts.

Read more: BBC | History.com

What It Means About Early Human Minds

Why are these 32 symbols found in caves all over Europe | Genevieve von Petzinger | TED

The existence of cave art over 40,000 years ago, before farming was even the normal way to live, and humans were mainly tribes or families of hunter-gatherers, tells us something important about how early humans thought. First, they already possess advanced intelligence that allows them to create artistic depictions from their head.

This is because creating these cave arts likely required planning, the collection of the right materials to use for painting in stone walls, choosing the right cave, and the mastery of handheld tools. It would require significant cognitive abilities to be able to achieve all these requirements.

Secondly, it shows they are capable of thinking outside the necessary and immediate animalistic ideas and thoughts. They are not just savages, always thinking about hunting or finding shelters. These cave arts tell us that they can think creatively and recognize symbols.

Lastly, it tells us that over 40,000 years ago, they may already have had complex traditions, social and emotional life. These cave arts could have been created to reflect their memories, visions, emotions, and even identity. It suggests that early humans had the stories and meanings that they wanted to share, preserve, or both for themselves and others.

Author's Final Thoughts

Cave art was created by early humans more than 40,000 years ago. Although the exact reason why this practice started at nearly the same time in different parts of the world is unknown, it still gave us an insight and a snapshot into their life and thoughts from the prehistoric era.

Whether it is just for fun and entertainment, storytelling and rituals, or education and communication, these cave arts were one of the earliest signs that our early human ancestors were not just intelligent, but also emotionally rich, socially complex, and deeply creative, which could have laid down the foundation for the civilizations and human cultures that followed.

Read next: Why Did Early Humans Begin Using Stone Tools Around 2.6 Million Years Ago? — Here’s What Researchers Discovered

References & Further Reading

Aubert, M., et al. (2018). Palaeolithic cave art in Borneo. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0679-9

Aubert, M., Pike, A. W. G., et al. (2014). Pleistocene cave art from Sulawesi, Indonesia. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13422

Hoffmann, D. L., et al. (2018). U-Th dating of carbonate crusts reveals Neandertal origin of Iberian cave art. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aap7778

Oktaviana, A. A., et al. (2024). Narrative cave art in Indonesia by 51,200 years ago. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07541-7