Published on May 14th, 2012 | by James Johnson
0Europe’s Oldest Cave Art Might Be Female Genitalia, Researchers Say
As hunter-gatherers moved throughout Europe nearly 37,000 years ago they left behind cave art and as it turns out their choice in stone sculpting was that of female genitalia.
A new discovery in France reveals that Europe’s oldest discovered rock art appears to be that of a vulva.’
Researcher Randall White tells LiveScience
“It’s quotidian art, it’s everyday art,” and “It’s over their heads as they’re doing everyday, banal sorts of things.”
While researchers can only guess the thinking of the artists they believe it was likely an interest in fertility and the mystery of childbirth that led to the cave art.
Other artwork created by humans at the time included paintings, sculpting and jewelry making that came from woolly mammoth ivory and animal teeth.
In the meantime at least a few archaeologists believe the circles are not genitalia but they have not defined the work as something else.
Researchers plan to further investigate the rock art and the surrounding area to figure out exactly what the rock art was actually depicting.