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Jun 4, 2026 1 hr 8 min

Neanderthal Art

from The Ancients

Fifty thousand years ago, Neanderthal artists in Ice Age Europe painted symbols and handprints deep inside caves, leaving behind some of the oldest known art on the continent. These discoveries are transforming how we understand our closest human relatives. Today, Tristan Hughes is joined by Genevieve von Petzinger to explore the fascinating story of Neanderthal art. What kinds of images did Neanderthals create? What did these markings mean? And how might their artistic traditions have influenced the first groups of Homo sapiens who later arrived in Europe? MORE Homo Sapiens v Neanderthals Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Lascaux Cave: Ice Age Art Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify We're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - grab your tickets here. Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds The Ancients is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week plus early access ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

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Neanderthal Art

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How long is this episode of The Ancients?

This episode is 1 hour and 8 minutes long.

When was this The Ancients episode published?

This episode was published on June 4, 2026.

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