Scientists examined 70,000-year-old ochre fragments from Neanderthal sites in Crimea and mainland Ukraine and found signs of deliberate shaping, sharpening, and reuse. Using scanning electron microscopy and portable X-ray fluorescence, the team analyzed 16 pieces and concluded some were likely used as drawing implements for symbolic, nonutilitarian purposes. The researchers emphasize that this behavior may not have been universal or continuous, but the finds support the idea that Neanderthals sometimes engaged in visual expression and cultural planning.
Did Neanderthals Invent the First Crayon? 70,000-Year-Old Ochre Suggests Symbolic Use
Scientists examined 70,000-year-old ochre fragments from Neanderthal sites in Crimea and mainland Ukraine and found signs of deliberate shaping, sharpening, and reuse. Using scanning electron microscopy and portable X-ray fluorescence, the team analyzed 16 pieces and concluded some were likely used as drawing implements for symbolic, nonutilitarian purposes. The researchers emphasize that this behavior may not have been universal or continuous, but the finds support the idea that Neanderthals sometimes engaged in visual expression and cultural planning.
01:11, 04.11.2025Science
Neanderthals and the Origins of a Crayon
In a finding that challenges the old stereotype of Neanderthals as solely brutish cave dwellers, researchers report that fragments of ochre recovered from Neanderthal sites in Crimea and mainland Ukraine show signs of deliberate shaping and use as drawing implements. The pieces—dated to about 70,000 years ago—are hardened clay and sand stained red by iron oxide, and several exhibit wear patterns, sharpening marks, and curated shapes consistent with repeated handling.
European scientists analyzed 16 ochre fragments using scanning electron microscopy and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) instruments to document micro-wear and composition. Their study, published in Science Advances, interprets some of these artifacts as having had symbolic, non-utilitarian functions—potentially used for body decoration, marking objects, or other forms of visual expression.
“These objects and the markings they produced likely played roles in communication, identity expression, and intergenerational knowledge transmission,” the authors wrote. “The curated nature of the ochre fragments further supports this interpretation, suggesting that they were preserved, transported, and reused—behaviors that reflect both planning and cultural investment.”
The authors stress caution: these results do not prove that all Neanderthals everywhere used ochre symbolically, nor that such behavior was continuous across millennia. Neanderthals occupied a vast territory from Western Europe to Siberia, and cultural practices likely varied by time and place. Still, the new evidence adds material weight to the growing view that Neanderthals sometimes engaged in deliberate visual expression and cultural planning.
Implications: The study strengthens the case that Neanderthals possessed capacities for symbolic thought and social signaling—abilities once thought to be distinctive to modern humans. By showing that ochre fragments were curated, carried, and reused, the findings point to foresight, cultural transmission, and personal or group identity markers among these ancient relatives.
Lead image: D'Errico, F., et al., Science Advances (2025).