? - Prehistoric Man

and cave paintings

Cro - Magnon, (From Wikipedia Encyclopedia) "The Cro - Magnons were the first early modern humans of the "European Upper Paleolithic" in Europe. The earliest known remains of Cro - Magnon - like humans are "Radiometrically" dated to 35,000 years before the present.
The name "Cro - Magnon" derives from the "Abri de Cro - Magnon" (French Rock Shelter of Cro - Magnon) near the commune of "Les Eyzies - de - Taysc - Sireuil" in Southwest France, where the first specimen were found.
Being the oldest known modern human in Europe, the Cro - Magnon were, from the outset, linked to the well - known "Lascaux Cave Paintings" and the "Aurignacian Culture" that flourished in Southern France and Germany".

Neanderthal, (From Wikipedia Encyclopedia) "The Neanderthal is an extinct member of the "Homo Genus" that is known for "Pleistocene" specimens found in Europe and parts of Western Asia.
Neanderthals are either classified as a subspecies (or race) of humans (Homo Sapiens Neanderthalensis) or a seperate species (Homo Neanderthalensis).
The first "Proto - Neanderthal" traits appeared in Europe as early as 600,000 - 350,000 years ago. By 130,000 years ago complete Neanderthal characteristics had appeared but had disappeared by 30,000 years ago, with no further individuals having enough "Neanderthal Morphological" traits to be considered as part of "Homo - Neanderthalensis".

Cave Paintings, (From Wikipedia Encyclopedia) "Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls and ceilings, and the term is used especially for those dating to prehistoric times. The earliest known European cave paintings date to "Aurignacian", some 32,000 years ago. The purpose of the "Paleolithic" cave painting is not known. The evidence suggest that they were not merely decorations of living areas, since the caves in which they have been found do not have signs of ongoing habitation.
Nearly 350 caves have now been discovered in France and Spain that contain art from "Prehistoric" times. The age of the paintings in many sites has been a contentious issue, since methods of "Radiocarbon" dating can be easily misled by contaminated samples of older or newer material. Recent advances make it possible to date the paintings by sampling the pigment (of the paint) itself.
The oldest known cave is that of "Chauvet", the paintings of which may be 32,000 years old, according to "Radiocarbon" dating. Some researchers believe the drawings are too advanced for this era and question their age."

What does the Bible say about cavemen, prehistoric men or Neanderthals? (From gotquestions.org) "The Bible does not use the term "caveman" or "Neanderthal", and according to the Bible there is no such thing as "prehistoric" man. The term "prehistoric" means "belonging to the era before recorded history". It presupposes that the bibical account is merely a fabrication, because the book of Genesis records events which precede the creation of man (namely, the first five days of creation - man was created on the sixth day). The Bible is clear that Adam and Eve were perfect humans from the time of their creation and did not evolve from lower life forms.
With that said, the Bible does describe a period of traumatic upheavel upon the earth - the flood (Genesis 6 - 9), during which time civilization was utterly destroyed except for eight people. Humanity was forced to start over. It is in this historical contex that some scholors believe men lived in caves and made use of stone tools. These men were not primitive , they were simply destitute. And they certainly were not half ape. The fossil evidence is quite clear: cavemen were human - men who lived in caves."

In an effort to present both sides of this complex issue, it will be continued on into, at least, the next posting. If you have followed it this far then stay tuned, until then, thanks - William