RT Journal Article
T1 Decoding palaeolithic hand stencils: age and sex identification through geometric morphometrics
A1 Fernández Navarro, V.
A1 Fidalgo Casares, D.
A1 García Martínez, Daniel
A1 Garate Maidagan, D.
AB This study pioneers the application of geometric morphometrics to Palaeolithic hand stencils, offering new insights into the problematics of classic rock art using innovative methodology. Employing a triple approach encompassing contemporary, experimental, and archaeological populations, the research achieves a precise estimation of age and biological sex through hand morphometry, enhancing our anthropometric understanding of the individuals whose hands were stencilled. The results of the analysis of the archaeological sample reveals a notable presence of sub-adults, indicating children’s participation in the creation of hand stencils. The findings also suggest a balanced, mixed participation between sexes across age groups and cave locations, reflecting cohesive social behaviour among Upper Palaeolithic human groups. Statistical analysis indicates that finger width in the Palaeolithic population is larger than in the modern sample, possibly due to a more active lifestyle. Most importantly, the study demonstrates the methodology’s repeatability across various chronologies and geographies, especially in well-preserved samples, underscoring its applicability worldwide. Overall, this research represents a significant methodological advancement in our ability to understand Palaeolithic rock art, shedding light on lifestyle and cultural dynamics of hunter-gatherer societies.
PB Springer
SN 1072-5369
YR 2025
FD 2025-01
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/120170
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/120170
LA eng
NO Navarro, V.F., Casares, D.F., Martínez, D.G. et al. Decoding Palaeolithic Hand Stencils: Age and Sex Identification Through Geometric Morphometrics. J Archaeol Method Theory 32, 24 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-025-09693-w
NO Funding:The author V. Fernandez-Navarro is beneficiary of a “Concepcion Arenal” 2020–21 pre-doctoral contract at the University of Cantabria for research towards the PhD. The present study has been conducted as part of the research project “Scientific virtual reality for the study and dissemination of the scenarios of artistic creation in Palaeolithic caves (RealCaveART)” (PDC2022-133124-I00), PI: Diego Garate, funded by MCIN/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union Next Generation EU/PRTR. D. Fidalgo was supported by the Ayuda del Programa de Formación de Profesorado Universitario (FPU20/03389) and is a Ph.D. student at the Programa de Doctorado en Biología at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature.
NO European Commission
NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España)
NO Agencia Estatal de Investigación (España)
NO Ministerio de Universidades (España)
NO Universidad de Cantabria
NO Universidad Complutense de Madrid
DS Docta Complutense
RD 25 feb 2026