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A Broken Neanderthal Spear Survives as a 40,000-Year-Old Imprint
Researchers catalogued 597 wooden remains and imprints, including 13 identifiable objects, and said wood played a larger role in Neanderthal life.
- On Wednesday, researchers identified 597 wooden remains and imprints at Abric Roman, a cliffside settlement in Catalonia, Spain, including 13 shaped artifacts such as spears, bark containers, and a unique club-like object.
- Calcium carbonate from surrounding travertine formed molds around decaying wood, preserving intricate details that allowed scientists to analyze 16 archaeological levels documenting Neanderthal occupation from around 62,000 to 40,000 years ago.
- The assemblage includes pointed sticks, bark trays, and structural elements like a possible tripod, alongside a wooden club with a flared handle that Gema Chac of IPHES-CERCA described as the most exceptional object identified to date.
- These findings suggest woodworking was an integrated part of Neanderthal technology alongside stone tool production, with Josep Vallverd of IPHES-CERCA stating, "I think the main message is quite simple."
- Because wood typically decays, this rare evidence offers a glimpse into a Neanderthal material world that is normally almost completely invisible, with researchers noting similar clubs are used by hunter-gatherer tribes for "interpersonal violence, hunting, and fishing.
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Scientists of the Catalan Institute of Paleontology present the largest sample obtained from Neanderthal wood tools, which they used regularly to manufacture weapons, decorative objects and as fuel. They have found them in the Barcelona site of Abric Romaní Read
·Madrid, Spain
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Forty years of systematic excavations in the Abric Romaní de Capellades (Barcelona) give for a lot. Even to understand that the technology of Neanderthals was not based only on stone, but used wood in multiple and diverse ways.Continue reading...
·Barcelona, Spain
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Total News Sources11
Leaning Left3Leaning Right1Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution43% Left, 43% Center
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources lean Left, 43% of the sources are Center
43% Center
L 43%
C 43%
14%
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