Kneeprint Found Near 175,000-Year-Old Stalagmite Structures in Bruniquel Cave
A possible kneeprint in clay preserved by calcium carbonate offers new clues about Neanderthals who built mysterious structures deep inside a French cave. Sophie Verheyden presented the findings on 4 May at the European Geosciences Union meeting in Vienna. The discovery comes as researchers explore whether DNA from the impression could link directly to its Neanderthal builders.
New ScientistAn impression in clay that could be a kneeprint was found next to a stalagmite circle in Bruniquel cave in south-west France. The kneeprint impression was made around 175,000 years ago. Neanderthals built the strange stalagmite circle deep inside the cave more than 300 metres from the entrance, where it is pitch black.
The stalagmite circles in Bruniquel cave were discovered in the 1990s and described in a 2016 paper by a team including Sophie Verheyden, who works at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. Some of the broken stalagmites are more than 20 centimetres thick at the base.
The bases of a handful of the broken-off stalagmites have been located, with the breakage dated to around the same time that the stalagmite circles were built.
Both the structures and the broken stalagmites were dated by measuring radioactive isotopes in the calcite growths. The largest stalagmite circle is around 7 metres in diameter. Traces of fire suggest the circles were lit.
The cave impression has been covered and preserved by a thin layer of calcium carbonate. A bear specialist examined the impression and concluded it isn’t a bear print. Sophie Verheyden met with Mareike Stahlschmidt at the University of Vienna, who has shown that DNA can diffuse into calcite and be preserved by it.
Mareike Stahlschmidt said that for Bruniquel cave it is worth a shot to look for DNA. Forensic studies of kneeprints have shown that they can contain DNA from skin cells, hair or blood. Homo sapiens was not in Europe around 175,000 years ago.
The entrance to Bruniquel cave collapsed at least 140,000 years ago and remained closed until its rediscovery by cavers in 1990. Sophie Verheyden said: “It’s just a hypothesis.
Verheyden presented her findings on 4 May at a meeting of the European Geosciences Union in Vienna. Her team is developing ways to fingerprint the stalagmites based on their mineral composition to determine where in the cave the broken ones came from.
The team is also trying to find ways to look through the layers of calcium carbonate covering parts of the floor, where there could be more Neanderthal footprints and impressions that were filled before bears took over the cave.
The location deep inside the cave has prompted questions about whether the circles served a cultural or religious purpose rather than a practical one. Verheyden noted that some Mayan peoples collected stalagmites from deep within caves for use in fertility amulets rather than simply collecting those near the entrances.
Every time researchers go in the cave they discover new details even after 10 years of study.
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Key Facts
Story Timeline
5 events- 2026-05-04
Sophie Verheyden presented findings on the possible kneeprint and stalagmite circles at the European Geosciences Union meeting in Vienna.
2 sourcesNew Scientist · Sophie Verheyden - 2021
Verheyden's team reported that the Bruniquel cave entrance collapsed at least 140,000 years ago and remained closed until 1990.
1 sourceSophie Verheyden's team - 2016
The stalagmite circles were described in a paper by a team including Sophie Verheyden.
1 sourceNew Scientist - 1990
Cavers rediscovered Bruniquel cave after its entrance had been closed for at least 140,000 years.
1 sourceSophie Verheyden's team - 175000 BCE
Neanderthals built the stalagmite circles and left the possible kneeprint impression around 175,000 years ago.
3 sourcesNew Scientist · Sophie Verheyden · Sophie Verheyden's team
Potential Impact
- 01
Detailed 2020 revenue and store counts for Vroom, Group 1 Automotive, Asbury and AutoNation provide baseline data for assessing long-term resilience of traditional dealership models amid e-commerce and mobility shifts.
- 02
Continued exploration of calcium carbonate layers in Bruniquel cave is expected to uncover additional Neanderthal footprints and impressions previously obscured by bears.
- 03
Fingerprinting of stalagmite mineral composition may reveal whether materials were transported from distant cave sections, shedding light on construction intent.
- 04
Advances in ancient DNA recovery from mineralized impressions could enable direct genetic confirmation that Neanderthals built the Bruniquel structures.
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