A remarkable piece of Stone Age rock art featuring a depiction of a bird has been discovered in an Italian cave, among other artwork dating back up to 14,000 years.
Archaeologists have been working in the Romanelli Cave in Apulia, Italy since 2016, but the first Stone Age artwork was found there over 100 years ago, in 1905.
The Palaeolithic artwork includes a rare depiction of a bird, as well as bovids and geometric signs, say experts from the University of Rome.
The images are part of an artistic tradition that stretched from the Iberian peninsula to France, but the new finds suggest this shared visual heritage spread even further.
Radiocarbon dating revealed that the cave was in use for longer than expected and the images may have built up over millennia.
Fieldwork inside Romanelli Cave. The panels with art are in the top left. A remarkable piece of Stone Age rock art, featuring a depiction of a bird, has been discovered in an Italian cave among other artwork dating back up to 14,000 years
Among the carvings was an auk head, pictured, that the team says was a rare thing for the people of the time to depict
Its proximity to the sea made it difficult for archaeologists to excavate the site and learn more about its origins
The team traced the panels to highlight the different markings, in this case showing different patterns, shapes and linear carvings
A multidisciplinary team of archaeologists, geologists and paleontologists in Italy made the amazing discovery within the cave, which is just 23ft above sea level.
While the cave was occupied during the Stone Age and re-discovered in 1874, difficulty accessing it meant it was not properly investigated for decades, with the first cave art only recorded in 1905.
'The rock art was not fully documented and was only supposed to consist of a few geometric signs, like ovals and fusiform, and one bovid,' said Dr Dario Sigari from the Università degli Studi di Ferrara.
As such, Dr Sigari and his team have been studying the cave since 2016. Their latest research, published in the journal Antiquity, reports the discovery of several previously unknown images there.
This newly identified artwork includes a bovid, geometric signs, patterns made by tracing fingers through moonmilk – a soft white material that builds up in limestone caves – and a rare depiction of a bird, likely an auk.
Although much of the artwork has deteriorated over time, the skill of the artists can still be seen.
Multiple tools were used to create the art depending on the surface being engraved and the bovid was carefully placed so that the shape of the rock would create a 3D effect.
Archaeologists have been working in the Romanelli Cave in Apulia, Italy since 2016, but the first Stone Age artwork was found there over 100 years ago, in 1905
