A seemingly ordinary boulder discovered in southern Spain could be hiding a secret that might shake up everything we know about early human cognition.
At a site near Marbella called Coto Correa, archaeologists uncovered a carved rock that may date back as far as 200,000 years. If confirmed, this would make it the oldest known symbolic rock carving ever recorded—predating the earliest known cave paintings by over 100,000 years.
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The rock, composed of gabbro—a dark, dense type of volcanic stone—is marked with two unusually straight lines carved into its smooth reddish-grey surface.
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Although at first glance it appears simple, those marks may represent the earliest known attempt by a human ancestor to communicate or express symbolic thought.
Major Leap in Cognitive Evolution
Symbolic thinking—like etching patterns into rock—marks a major leap in cognitive evolution. It’s not just about survival or tool-making; it’s about abstract thought, memory, and perhaps even culture. While other animals use sounds or gestures to communicate, humans are the only species known to leave enduring symbols behind.
According to Marbella city officials, this finding confirms that early humans or their ancestors were active in this region during the Middle Paleolithic—a period that has remained largely unexplored in Spain.
Researchers aren’t jumping to conclusions just yet. A detailed 3D scan of the stone is planned to help determine whether the lines were carved intentionally or formed naturally. They’ll also extract micro-samples from the rock to precisely date the engravings.
If these engravings are proven to be deliberate, Coto Correa could become one of the most important archaeological sites tied to humanity’s early spread across Europe.
Other Early Symbols
This potential discovery fits into a growing puzzle of ancient symbolic behavior:
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Tibetan Plateau (169,000–226,000 BCE): Children’s hand and foot impressions arranged in deliberate patterns.
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Lingjing, China (ca. 100,000 years ago): Bones etched and stained with ochre, indicating deliberate artistic or symbolic intent.
These findings suggest that the capacity for abstract expression may not have been exclusive to Homo sapiens. Our extinct relatives—like Neanderthals or Denisovans—might have had more sophisticated minds than previously assumed.
If confirmed, this engraving will spark renewed debate on when symbolic behavior began and who first practiced it. Did humans inherit this ability from a shared ancestor? Or did different human species develop it independently?
