Rare wooden artifacts showcase the smarts of early Neanderthals

This study gives us a really nuanced observation of Neanderthal skill and planning.” They weren’t using any old sticks, either. The spears and other tools were carved from spruce, larch, and pine, species that grew many kilometers away from the lake and combined hardness with elasticity. “They had a very detailed idea what they were looking for,” says co-author Thomas Terberger, an archaeologist at the Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage. Signs of breakage and subsequent carving indicate some broken tools were recycled—whittled and polished into smaller implements. “They’re splitting spears or throwing sticks to make tools for other tasks,” Milks says. Although previous research suggested hominins came to the ancient lakeshore to hunt and stayed just long enough to butcher their kills, the tools and woodworking debris indicate longer stays. The team identified pointed sticks, perhaps used to pierce hides or work plant material—“activity you don’t expect at a hunting site,” says co-author Dirk Leder, an archaeologist also at Lower Saxony. “That turns it from a short-lived butchering site to a campsite.” The camping parties may have included more than just burly males. “The throwing sticks in particular are suitable for use by other members of the group, even children,” Terberger says. “Even our image of the hunt is getting much more colorful.” The sophisticated wood artifacts from Schöningen join fi...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research