Humans have been around for a long time, but it wasn’t until very recently that we figured out how to make art interesting.
See, back in the day, it was all buffalo running to the left, buffalo with spears in their backs, buffalo running to the right, rinse and repeat. Nowadays, we have cool artists like Banksy or Jim Davis who really know how to make you think.
So, let’s take a trip back in time, before optical illusions or CGI or Deadpool, all the things that make art fun to look at. Take a look at this gallery of some of the oldest art ever created by humans, organized from the oldest to the newest, and think to yourself, “I could have made that.”
1
Eagle Talon Pendants
These eagle talons are believed to have been fashioned into pendants by Neanderthals about 130,000 years ago. They were discovered in modern-day Croatia.
2
Neanderthal Wall Carvings
Though not created by early modern humans, there is some earlier art created by Neanderthals. These carvings on a cave wall in France are from 75,000 years ago.
3
South African Hashtag
This stone ‘flake’ was marked in red ochre with criss crossed lines. It’s thought to be about 73,000 years old.
4
Deer Toe Carving
This toe bone from a giant deer was carved with what appear to be chevrons by Neanderthals about 51,000 years ago.
5
Indonesian ‘Warty’ Pig
This depiction of a warty pig on a stone panel on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia may be the oldest piece of representational art ever, dating back to about 45,500 years ago.
6
Chauvet Cave Paintings
Created by early modern humans between 28,000 and 37,000 years ago.
7
Altamira Cave
The Cave of Altamira is renowned for its cave art, including charcoal drawings and multicolor paintings of prehistoric animals and human hands. The earliest paintings are about 36,000 years old.
8
Venus of Willendorf
This famous stone figurine of a woman, thought to be a fertility idol, is about 30,000 years old.
9
Serra da Capivara
Ancient cave paintings depicting animals and hunting, which date back to around 25,000 years ago.
10
Venus of Brassempouy
Discovered in France, it dates to about 25,000 years ago.
11
Ubirr
Ubirr is a group of rock outcrops in Kakadu National Park in Australia. It contains 20,000-year-old rock art by Aboriginals.
12
Lascaux Paintings
Over 600 paintings cover the walls in this cave system in southwestern France. The drawings seem to have been contributed to by many generations, with an estimated age of 17,000 years.
13
Tadrart Acacus
Tadrart Acacus is a mountain range in the Sahara Desert that contains rock art dating from 14,000 years ago. It depicts giraffes, elephants, camels, ostriches, horses, and people.
14
Cueva de las Manos
This cave’s name literally means ‘the cave of hands’. It has hundreds of stenciled hands painted on the cave walls, dating to between 9,000 and 13,000 years ago.
15
Bimbhekta Rock Shelters
This collection of rock shelters contains over 600 cave paintings that depict the lives of those who once lived there. The oldest of the paintings is at least 12,000 years old.
16
Magura Cave
Located in the northwest of Bulgaria, this cave contains a collection of art painted with bat excrement between 4,000 and 8,000 years ago.
17
Laas Geel
These cave paintings are located in Somalia and are some of the earliest known cave paintings in the Horn of Africa. They are estimated to be between 5,000 and 7,000 years old.
