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Letter: Admiration for ancient cave paintings

Published 3 December 2025

From Alex Bowman, Glasgow, UK

Regarding the feature Songs from the caves, the Lascaux cave paintings in France include a star map of the Taurus region of the sky with a bull painted around the Hyades, just as the constellation is depicted today (22 November, p 34). Dated at 17,000 years old, surely this is the oldest provable human concept? After viewing this cave art, Pablo Picasso proclaimed: “We have learned nothing in 12,000 years.”

Issue no. 3572 published 6 December 2025

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