Neanderthals – not modern humans – were first artists on Earth, experts claim

Neanderthals painted on cave walls in Spain 65,000 years ago - tens of thousands of years before modern humans arrived, say researchers

More than 65,000 years ago, a Neanderthal reached out and made strokes in red ochre on the wall of a cave, and in doing so, became the first known artist on Earth, scientists claim.

The discovery overturns the widely-held belief that modern humans are the only species to have expressed themselves through works of art.