These Finger Drawings Are 13,000 Years Old

Could it be possible that human ancestors living some 13,000 years ago had already established the concept of schools? A new discovery made inside the Rouffignac cave system in southwestern France seems to indicate that this is the case.

Inside the 8-kilometer (4.97-mile) cavern, researchers discovered numerous paintings and other art forms, but what really captured their attention was a large number of finger flutings. These are unusual markings that could have been made by people touching the silt on the cave walls.

The soft material would have made the perfect medium for leaving indentation, ScienceNow reports. A comparison with flutings left behind by modern humans reveals that marks in Rouffignac were left behind by very young children, perhaps only 2 or 3 years old.

Interestingly, researchers learned that some of these markings couldn't have been made by a child, due to the fact that they were too straight. As such, an adult may have been holding their hands, guiding them like a primitive teacher. The chamber holding the flutings may have been an ancient classroom.