Who painted that? The authorship of Schematic rock art at the Los Machos rockshelter in southern Iberia

Researchers have identified the likely sex and age of two prehistoric individuals who left fingerprints at the Los Machos rockshelter, a UNESCO World Heritage Site candidate on the Iberian Peninsula. Using palaeodermatoglyphics—a novel method analyzing fingerprint ridge patterns—this study provides the first empirical evidence linking specific artists to schematic rock art, bridging a critical gap in understanding the social context of such sites. The findings suggest that both individuals were likely adult males, offering new insights into the roles and identities of rock art creators during the later prehistoric period.

Martínez-Sevilla, F., Arqués, M., Jordana, X., Malgosa, A., Lozano Rodríguez, J. A., Romero, M. S., Sharpe, K., & Rus, J. C. (2020). Who painted that? The authorship of Schematic rock art at the Los Machos rockshelter in southern Iberia. Antiquity, 94(377), 1133–1151. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2020.140