News > Were Neanderthals making ‘art’ in Europe’s fabled Unicorn Cave?

Were Neanderthals making ‘art’ in Europe’s fabled Unicorn Cave?

For centuries, Germany’s Unicorn Cave has been a lure for people seeking secrets from the past. In the Middle Ages, people literally mined the site for mammoth tusks, cave bear teeth, and the remains of other extinct animals.

More recently, on a warm summer day in 2019, Gabriele Russo sat outside Unicorn Cave, marveling at another mysterious bone in his hand. About the size of a chess piece, it was carved with 10 deep, slanting lines on one side.