Neanderthal wooden tools from Spain found preserved in stone
Dissolved rock precipitated around the tools, which then decayed.
Dissolved rock precipitated around the tools, which then decayed.
The short version
- In a recent Science Advances study, a team of Spanish archaeologists has cataloged 597 wooden remains from Neanderthal living areas dating from 62,000 to 40,000 years ago.
- They found spears, digging sticks, bark trays, parts of shelters, and a club unlike anything seen before, suggesting Neanderthals were likely much more than just Homo sapiens’ dumber cousins.
- The oldest wooden artifacts we have are mostly weapons.
What happened
They include spears from a German town called Schöningen, a spear tip from Clacton-on-Sea in England, and the spear found alongside an elephant skeleton in Lehringen, Germany. Most came from waterlogged sediments, where a lack of oxygen slowed decay.
Why it matters
The spears mostly give us information about how Neanderthals hunted.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.