Although brown and earthy tones were more readily available, evidence indicates that humans had a clear preference for ...

Red markings ... the red ochre pigments discovered in three caves in the Iberian Peninsula are a form of Neanderthal cave art. It states that the deposits stand out from other natural materials ...

The drawing is about 73,000 years old, and shows cross-hatch lines sketched onto stone with red ochre pigment ... Humanity has used ochre, a clay earth pigment, for at least 285,000 years.