Neanderthal glue indicates complex thinking

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Neanderthals likely made a type of glue from two natural compounds to help them grip stone tools better, according to a new analysis of forgotten artifacts recently discovered at a Berlin museum.

The ability to make an adhesive from disparate components shows that ancient hominins were able to engineer materials to meet their own needs and open a window into their patterns of thinking, said Patrick Schmidt, a researcher in the Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ages at the University of Tübingen. Environmentalist who led the study.

“The fact that Neanderthals made such a substance gives insight into their abilities and way of thinking,” he said.

The stone tools were discovered around 1910 at a French archaeological site called Le Moustiers, which scientists believe were used by Neanderthals between 120,000 and 40,000 years ago. Since the 1960s, the tools have been untouched and individually wrapped in the Museum of Prehistory and Early History in Berlin. Its existence only came to light during the group's recent internal review.

When Schmidt and his colleagues examined the artifacts in detail for the first time, they found that the tools still bore traces of organic matter, including traces of ochre, a natural earth pigment, and pitch, found in soil (although it could also have been produced from oil raw).

Schmidt said that at this stage it is not yet possible for stone tools to have been manufactured, and the sediment layers found in the upper rock shelter at Le Moustiers were not dated. However, dates for the lower shelter at the site, where Neanderthal skeletons and similar tools were found, suggest it is between 40,000 and 60,000 years old.

Schmidt said he believes it is “very likely” that these objects were made by Neanderthals, who disappeared about 40,000 years ago, although early Homo sapiens were in the area at the same time.

Marie-Hélène Moncel, director of research at the French National Museum of Natural History in Paris, said the glue has been found at other Neanderthal archaeological sites in Europe, and it would not be surprising if Neanderthals also applied the adhesive to those stone tools. She did not participate in the study.

Old handles

Researchers were initially surprised to find traces of ochre, because it reduces the viscosity of bitumen. However, when they made their own version of the glue, using bitumen from a tar lake in the Massif Central region of France and ocher from Italy, the reason became clear.

they The study was published Wednesday in the journal Science AdvancesI found that stone tool makers used adhesive to form the handle rather than hanging the tool on the wood.

“The bitumen there is very sticky and makes everything on you unusable if it comes into contact with the bitumen. Everything on you is sticky with black spots and has an odor. But if you mix high amounts of ochre, what you get is a sticky mass that can Touch them and use them as handles.”

Microscopic wear showed that the stone tools appeared to be polished above the handheld portion but nowhere else, likely revealing wear resulting from movement of the tools within the ocher bitumen grip.

The results also revealed a pattern. Schmidt said Neanderthals are already known to have made an adhesive from birch tar, which involved several steps to produce from tree bark by distillation.

“What this means is that they acted as early engineers who created materials according to their needs,” Schmidt said. “The other point is that sourcing the materials represents a major investment, as they come from different regions located far from each other. This means that these handles were highly valuable to their makers.

It is the latest discovery to suggest that Neanderthals were more intelligent than the common stereotype of them as knuckle-dragging animals. Plus glue, built great It is believed that humans have created the chain, Engraved bones And Cave wallsAnd Jewelry collected from eagle claws.