the archaeologist Joseba Rios Garaizar, from the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), and a scientific team led by Iluminada Ortega from the Institut National des Recherches en Archéologie Préventives (Inrap), have published in the Journal of Archaeological Science Reports the discovery of an Aurignacian art object, 35,000 – 31,000 years old, a naturalistic bird representation at the Cantalouette II open-air site in southwestern France, which contributes to our knowledge of the origins of figurative art.

This depiction is very distinct and probably unique in the Aurignacian period, during which Modern Humans arrived in western Europe. It is exceptional in its degree of naturalism, the nature of its support—the cortex (limestone coating) of a flint flake—and the engraving technique used. This “sunk relief” technique was identified through microscopic and 3D analyses realized at the CENIEH.