Ancient humans had a deep appreciation for art, as researchers reveal artifacts over 50,000 years old (photos included).

One of the defining characteristics of modern humans is their desire to create art objects or at least to understand this concept. However, when we ask the question of when art first appeared, finding a clear answer proves to be quite challenging.

At the very least, scientists believe that the urge for self-expression was exhibited by our distant ancestors as far back as 50,000 or even 100,000 years ago. This is discussed in a new study published in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences.

Researchers examined stone artifacts from four archaeological excavation sites in Israel and the Golan Heights — in the Manot, Amud, Kafzeh caves, and the Kunetra site. The findings were analyzed using the latest methods, such as 3D analysis, optical microscopy, and statistical processing.

The artifact from the Manot cave, dated to around 55,000 years old, features fan-shaped patterns. Scientists suggest that the notches held significant meaning for the creator, as they were made before the final flakes were removed from the stone.

On the artifacts from the Amud cave — a retouched blade and a fragment of a flake — the notches appear more randomly placed. This suggests that they were used as tools, and the notches emerged during their use. The age of this finding is approximately 55,000 to 68,000 years.

The artifact from Kafzeh resembles the finding from Manot, but it is about 100,000 years old. The lines on it are nearly parallel and organized, leading scientists to believe that the object held some ritual significance.

In Kunetra, plates with notches in the shape of arcs were found, which do not resemble random lines. They may represent traces of one of the earliest abstract drawings, created around 54,000 years ago.

Researchers do not definitively state which species of human created these items. However, there are suggestions that they were made by Neanderthals, with the exception of the artifact from Kafzeh, near which remains of anatomically modern humans were found. The finding in Manot is also intriguing, as it included the skull of a hybrid individual (a mix of modern human and Neanderthal), making it quite difficult to trace the authorship of the object.

This implies that researchers believe the inclination towards art is not exclusive to us and could have developed in more archaic human species as well.

As previously reported, people in Europe might have been practicing piercing as far back as 29,000 to 31,000 years ago. This was indicated by very specific markings on teeth.