About 40,000 years ago, people, whether neanderthals, part neanderthals or wholly homo sapiens, were engaged in representational artistic expression. We know because we can study their work on the walls of caves. What we don't see is what they made from wood and how they coloured wooden objects before they engaged in using stone and cave walls. We really do have to make guesses and disprove ourselves! http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/15/science/new-dating-puts-cave-art-in-the-age... 
