Here, we see students from the University of Regensburg and the University Bochum, Germany, work with piles of tiny stones from the main underground dig. They examine the finds for archaeological artifacts. In the summer of 2021, researchers announced the discovery of the first directly-dated piece of Neanderthal art: A distinctly-carved bone from a now extinct giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus). It was excavated from sediments that blocked an ancient entrance to Einhornhöhle (Unicorn Cave) in Germany’s Harz Mountains. Most Important to researchers, the bone featured a deliberate engraving in the form of a chevron, indicating that Neanderthals had the capacity for symbolic thinking—and what some researchers believe is “art.”. These findings were recently published in the journal Nature Evolution & Ecology.
