Hidden Charcoal Inside a Famous French Cave Just Rewrote the Timeline of Its Ice Age Paintings

These Mysterious Ice Age Cave Symbols May Actually Be the First Image of Mind-Altering Plants

It's hard to say for sure, but the similarities are clear.

Scientists Discover True Age of Mysterious Cave Paintings in France

Scientists have finally dated paintings in France's Font-de-Gaume cave after discovering charcoal hidden inside the ancient black pigment.

Hidden Charcoal Inside a Famous French Cave Just Rewrote the Timeline of Its Ice Age Paintings

Charcoal in the cave paintings at France’s Font-de-Gaume overturns the long-held assumption that these paintings lacked the carbon needed for radiocarbon dating, according to recent study findings.  Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the research identifies the first direct radiocarbon dates for the cave’s artwork. For over a century, archaeologists have studied Font-de-Gaume, but the exact age of its images…