Text 1
Many paleoanthropologists argue that red ochre markings found in Spanish caves, dated to over 64,000 years ago, demonstrate that Neanderthals engaged in symbolic representation. Because modern humans did not arrive in Europe until roughly 45,000 years ago, these pigments must be attributed to Neanderthals, indicating they possessed sophisticated cognitive capacities comparable to our own species.
Text 2
Some researchers caution that uranium-thorium dating of calcite crusts overlying cave pigments can yield artificially old ages if water has leached uranium out of the minerals over time. Furthermore, the mere presence of mineral pigments does not automatically signify symbolic behavior; ochre was frequently utilized by early hominins for utilitarian purposes, such as an adhesive for tool assembly or a skin protectant.
Based on the passages, match each claim made by the author of Text 1 with the corresponding response or counterargument presented by the author of Text 2.
- The assertion that the cave markings are more than 64,000 years oldContested by suggesting that geologic processes like uranium leaching can artificially inflate dating results
- The claim that Neanderthals must be the creators of the cave markingsWeakened by casting doubt on the timeline that excludes modern human involvement due to dating unreliability
- The conclusion that the red ochre markings demonstrate symbolic representationCountered by proposing that the pigment may have served practical, non-symbolic functions such as sunscreen or tool adhesive