Robert Firth
AN ANCIENT cave painting, thought to be 5,000 years old, has been discovered in Spain.
While it was first uncovered a year ago, it has taken experts from Russia 12 months to be certain of its origins.
The painting, which looks like an arrow with a reddish hue, was found in Alburquerque, Extremadura by a local resident who was exploring nearby tombs.
Roman Senin from Moscow’s Kurchatov Institute said his research showed that colours used in the paintings were ‘the product of heat treatment.’
“Simply put, the primitive artist heated minerals to a certain temperature in order to get the colour he needed,” Senin added.
It comes after the discovery of what has been dubbed the ‘Spanish Stonehenge’ in Extremadura this summer.
The 7,000 year old Dolmen of Guadalperal was uncovered at the bottom of a reservoir following a drought.
Architects believe this set of stones may have been constructed in the 4th or 5th millennium, making it thousands of years older than Stonehenge.
