Non-figurative markings on the walls of La Roche-Cotard cave in France are the oldest known engravings made by our sister species.
The site of La Roche-Cotard is in Indre-et-Loire, in the commune of Langeais, France.
Discovered in January 1912, the cave is on the south-facing slope on the right bank of the Loire.
The entrance is at the back of a small rocky cirque, only a few meters above the top of the river’s modern embankment.
The cave comprises a narrow gallery, a tunnel some 10 m (33 feet) long and three wider chambers, extending around 40 m (131 feet) in all.
The site is particularly notable for the discovery of the so-called Mask of La Roche-Cotard, a proto-figurine possibly created by Neanderthals.