Ice Age hunters used cave paintings to time life cycles of animals, study shows

A red ochre drawing of an aurochs (wild cattle) in La Pasiega cave (Cantabria, Spain) around 23,000 years ago showing a set of four dots. Ice Age hunter-gatherers used cave paintings to record sophisticated information about the world around them which helped them to survive, a breakthrough study has found.

Ice Age hunter-gatherers used cave paintings to record sophisticated information about the world around them which helped them to survive, a breakthrough study has found.

Decoding marks on the drawings for the first time, a team of specialists has proven that at least 20,000 years ago, people across Europe made notes about wild animals and the timings of their reproduction cycles.