Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola
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| Born |
Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola y Pedrueca
2 June 1831 |
| Died | 2 June 1888 (aged 57) Santander
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| Nationality |  Spain |
| Known for | Discoverer and researcher of Altamira |
| Children | María (1871-1946) [1] |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Prehistorian and archaeologist |
| Influenced | Émile Cartailhac Henri Breuil |
| Notes | |
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Did not live to see the worldwide recognition of his great discovery.
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Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola was a Spanish amateur archaeologist. He owned the land where the famous Altamira cave was discovered. His work helped show the world how old and amazing prehistoric art truly is.
Discovering Altamira Cave
The Altamira cave is famous for its incredible prehistoric art. Local people knew about the cave for a long time. But it only became well-known in 1868. That's when a hunter named Modesto Cubillas Pérez "discovered" it.
Sautuola began exploring the Altamira cave in 1875. He did not know about the paintings until 1879. That year, his eight-year-old daughter, María, was with him. She looked up and noticed the ceiling was covered with images of bison!
Sautuola had seen similar ancient drawings before. He saw them on Stone Age objects at an exhibition in Paris. So, he believed these paintings might also be from the Stone Age. He then asked an archaeologist from the University of Madrid to help him.
Sharing the Discovery
Professor Juan Vilanova y Piera agreed with Sautuola's ideas. They published their findings in 1880. Many people were excited about this discovery.
However, many scientists at the time did not believe them. French experts, led by Gabriel de Mortillet, strongly disagreed. They made fun of Sautuola and Piera's findings at a meeting in Lisbon in 1880.
Because the paintings were so beautiful and well-preserved, some even accused Sautuola of faking them. One person said that a modern artist had painted them for Sautuola.
Later Recognition
Over the next 20 years, more ancient paintings were found in other places. This made the Altamira paintings seem more real. Slowly, scientists changed their minds.
In 1902, a respected French archaeologist named Émile Cartailhac admitted his mistake. He had been one of the main critics. He wrote an article called "Mea culpa d'un sceptique" (meaning "A Skeptic's Apology"). In it, he clearly said he was wrong.
Sadly, Sautuola had died 14 years before Cartailhac's apology. He never knew that his discovery would be fully accepted. Today, we have modern ways to date things. These methods confirm that the Altamira paintings were made between 11,000 and 19,000 years ago. Sautuola's discoveries are now seen as very important for studying Paleolithic art.
Family Life
Sautuola's daughter, María, later married into the Botín family. This family was well-known in Cantabria, Spain. Today, the owners of Banco Santander are descendants of Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola.
See also
In Spanish: Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola para niños
