JAKARTA - The red line in a cave in Wales was once thought to be just a mineral discharge. More than a century later, scientists concluded that the mark was not a natural scratch. It is a human finger print from 17,100 years ago.
Launching a report by NBC News, Tuesday, June 2, the findings in the Bacon Hole cave, near Mumbles, South Wales, are now declared the oldest known prehistoric art in Britain and northwest Europe.
The red lines were first discovered in 1912. At that time, Professor William Sollas and Henri Breuil considered them prehistoric art. However, the interpretation was later rejected. The mark was thought to come from mineral deposits that seeped through the rock.
The assessment changed after an international team of scientists re-examined the stone panel. In a study published in the journal Quaternary, researchers concluded that the red line was deliberately made by humans, not naturally formed.
George Harold Nash, an archaeologist and prehistoric art specialist who led the research, said the panel had long been forgotten by the archaeological community.
"Neglected and unrecognized, the panel has been nothing more than a footnote in history," Nash told NBC News via email.
The research team used modern dating techniques. Pigment samples were examined in the laboratory, then compared with direct observations in the cave. Pigments are color materials used to make marks or paintings.
The result, the red horizontal line is neatly arranged, at regular intervals, and forms a pattern that is considered intentional. Evidence also shows that the pigment was applied with a human finger.
Nash said the moment of rediscovery was very exciting. According to him, standing in front of a panel that was found more than 110 years ago, then was ignored, was an extraordinary experience.
The meaning of the red line is not yet certain. However, Nash said that cave art in Europe is often associated with rituals, symbols, and belief systems of ancient societies.
Around 17,100 years ago, the area was just emerging from a very harsh glacial period. Bacon Hole and other caves on the south coast of Wales were likely home to groups of hunters, fishers, and food gatherers.
However, according to Nash, the cave does not seem to be just a shelter. The location of the art which is deep inside the cave shows that the place may have cultural significance for the Ice Age people.
According to an NBC News report, the interpretation of the site was complicated because there was graffiti of a local fisherman from 1894 on another wall of the cave room.
Now Bacon Hole is under the management of the National Trust of Wales. The institution, together with the Bradshaw Foundation, funds scientific research at the site.
National Trust Wales supports the proposal to designate Bacon Hole as a scheduled monument, an important site that receives special legal protection.
Nash asked for the highest protection for the site. The reason is because prehistoric art is very rare and fragile.
"Once damaged or destroyed, it will never be replaced," Nash said.
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