The Neanderthal created sophisticated stone tools held together by a multi-component glue, a team of scientists has discovered. The findings suggest that these ancestors of modern humans had a higher level of knowledge than previously thought.
The research involved scientists from New York University, the University of Tübingen and the National Museums of Berlin and was presented in the journal Science Advances.
The research team re-examined previous findings from the Le Moustier archaeological site in France. The stone tools found there were used by Neanderthals during the Middle Paleolithic period, between 120,000 and 40,000 years ago, and are kept in the collection of the Berlin Museum of Prehistory and Early History. These tools had not previously been examined in detail, having been wrapped and untouched since the 1960s. “As a result, the attached remains of organic matter were very well preserved,” explains lead researcher Eva Dutkiewicz, from the Museum of Prehistory and Early History in Berlin.
The researchers discovered traces of a mixture of ocher and liquid bitumen on various stone tools, such as scrapers and blades. Ocher is a natural pigment, and asphalt can be produced from crude oil, but it also occurs naturally in soil. In tests they found that the mixture was sticky enough that a stone tool would stick to it, but without sticking to the hands, making it a suitable grip material. Indeed, an examination of wear marks from the use of these stone tools under the microscope revealed that the adhesives on the tools were used in this way.
The use of adhesives with various ingredients, such as tree resins and ocher, was previously known by early modern humans, Homo Sapiens in Africa, but not by the earliest Neanderthals in Europe. Overall, the development of adhesives and their use to make tools is considered to be one of the best material evidences of the cultural evolution and cognitive abilities of early humans.. In the Le Moustier region, ocher and bitumen had to be collected from remote locations, which meant a lot of effort, planning and a targeted approach, the authors note.
“What our study shows is that early Homo sapiens in Africa and Neanderthals in Europe had similar patterns of thought,” points out lead researcher Patrick Schmidt from the Department of Early Prehistory at the University of Tübingen.
Source: News Beast
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