Anthropologists find 38,000-year-old engraving in France

While we may consider art that dates back hundreds of years as 'historic' a recent discovery puts things in a new perspective.

An international team of anthropologists have discovered a 38,000-year-old engraved image in a south western French rock shelter.

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This finding marks some of the earliest known graphic imagery found in Western Eurasia.

The engraving also offers insight into the nature of humans during this period.

NYU anthropologist Randall White said: "Discoveries like these give us a window into the lives of societies from those times."

The release also notes the French site of the recently uncovered engraving slab bearing a complex image of a wild cow surrounded by rows of dots was previously excavated in the early twentieth century.

White and his team members began their methodical exploration of remaining deposits at the site in 2011 with the discovery occurring in 2012.