A remote cave in Argentina, was recently identified as the site of one of the earliest known examples of rock art in Patagonia, which was among the last places on the planet to be settled by humans. The cave art was previously thought to have been made within the last few thousand years.
The Cueva Huenul 1 site contains almost 900 paintings of human figures, animals, and abstract designs. One mysterious comblike pattern, a study recently published in Science Advances found, was made roughly 8,200 years ago.
Cave artists recreated the same design in black pigment for thousands of years thereafter. This design may have been used to communicate during shifts in the climate change, according to the New York Times.
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Early inhabitants of Patagonia, a region located at the southern tip of South America, arrived roughly 12,000 years ago. Around 10,000 years ago, Patagonia became increasingly arid, making it more difficult to live there. The archaeological record in the cave suggests that the site was abandoned during this time.
The age of the paintings was confirmed using radiocarbon dating. Archaeologists also discovered that the black painting was made from charred wood sourced from burned bushes or cacti.
With a span of 3,000 years, the comb motif may have preserved collective memories and oral traditions of the inhabitants. While it now serves as a record of how people have tackled the previous challenges of climate change, the meaning and purpose of the motif remains unclear.