Scientists discover 42,000-year-old 'crayon' — colouring a new picture of early humans

Move over, Crayola, the Neanderthals were colouring outside the lines long before we were. Archaeologists led by Francesco d’Errico from the University of Bordeaux, along with an international team of researchers, have unearthed what might be the world’s oldest “crayon” — a 42,000-year-old yellow ochre stick found at Neanderthal sites in Crimea and Ukraine. The ancient drawing tool , described in a new study published in Science Advances, was carved, shaped, and reused multiple times, suggesting it was more than a simple tool. It was, in the words of the researchers, a symbol of creativity and possibly the earliest proof that Neanderthals had their own art scene long before we even showed up.


Not your average rock
At first glance, the ochre piece looks like, well, a rock. But under the microscope, scientists saw clear evidence of grinding, flaking, and resharpening, the ancient equivalent of sharpening your pencil before sketching in a cave. It’s small, just 4.5 centimetres long, but packed with personality. The tip showed telltale marks of friction, as if it had been pressed against a surface again and again, creating lines or marks.

Francesco d’Errico, one of the study’s authors, said it had been “curated and reshaped several times,” which is scientist-speak for “someone really loved this thing.” The team suspects the ochre stick wasn’t for boring tasks like tanning hides or staining tools; it was likely a marking or drawing tool, used to create art, symbols, or maybe even prehistoric doodles on cave walls or skin.


Neanderthals: The misunderstood artists
For centuries, Neanderthals have been the punchline of human evolution, the lumbering cousins with big brows and small ideas. But that image is looking more outdated than dial-up internet. In recent years, scientists have discovered cave engravings, ornaments, and painted bones that point to symbolic behaviour. This “crayon” adds another colourful piece to that puzzle.

It’s becoming clear that Neanderthals weren’t just surviving; they were expressing. They might have used colour to mark territory, decorate their bodies, or communicate identity, the ancient version of an Instagram bio, perhaps. “These markings likely played roles in communication, identity expression, and intergenerational knowledge,” the researchers wrote. Translation: the Neanderthals might have been swapping fashion and art tips before Homo sapiens even arrived.


Art that outlasted its artists
What makes this discovery remarkable isn’t just the crayon’s age but its intention. The tool was cared for, reshaped, and reused, not thrown away after one sketch session. That kind of attention suggests planning and pride, qualities once thought unique to modern humans.

If Neanderthals really were artists, they might have stood before cave walls, crayon in hand, deciding whether yellow ochre or red clay best matched their mammoth décor. Or maybe they used it for body paint before a hunt. Either way, it adds a splash of colour to a species long painted in dull tones.


Rewriting the story in ochre
Far from the stereotype of club-wielding brutes, Neanderthals were turning out to be surprisingly cultured. They cared for their injured, buried their dead, and now, it seems, left behind the first traces of art. This tiny ochre stick is proof that creativity isn’t a modern invention; it’s a very old habit.

So next time you pick up a crayon, remember: you’re part of a 40,000-year-old tradition. The only difference? Theirs didn’t come in a 64-pack box.