Archaeologica.org

An interesting find....less for the fact that women were capable of drawing but it puts a crimp in the idea that females were insignificant in a hunter-centered grouping.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... index.html

For about as long as humans have created works of art, they've also left behind handprints. People began stenciling, painting, or chipping imprints of their hands onto rock walls at least 30,000 years ago.

Until recently, most scientists assumed these prehistoric handprints were male. But "even a superficial examination of published photos suggested to me that there were lots of female hands there," Pennsylvania State University archaeologist Dean Snow said of European cave art.

Does this imply a somewhat higher social status for women than we have been led to believe by the Club?

I think he shoots himself in the foot when he restricts his comparison group to people of European background while admitting that modern humans have a variance in the points of measurement he used.

If we vary now, why wouldn’t we vary 30,000 years ago?

The comments do go on to state that his research was limited to Europe but that he hoped others would expand the search. The question then arises as to whether or not this type of cave painting exists anywhere else?

Minimalist wrote:The question then arises as to whether or not this type of cave painting exists anywhere else?

Certainly the practice of using one's own hand as a stencil exists in Australia.

All kinds of ancient rock art here

Hand outlines seem to be in almost all cave paintings.
Evidently made by blowing powered pigment from one hand around the outstretched fingers of the other.

My question is, given the differences in hand structure not only between sexes but between races, in the current population, how can he use current the population to determine the differences in a 30,000 year old population.

He restricted his modern comparison group to “those of European descent.”
Europe has had a few population changes in the last 30,000 years.