• Email Us: [email protected]
  • Contact Us: +1 718 874 1545
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Medical Market Report

  • Home
  • All Reports
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Engraved Bone Of Prehistoric Bear Is The Oldest Example Of Neanderthal Culture

April 20, 2024 by Deborah Bloomfield

Some time between 115,000 and 130,000 years ago, a Neanderthal living in a cave in Poland etched a series of markings into a bear bone. Despite consisting of just 17 lines, the engravings converted the bone into one of the oldest known symbolic items in Europe and one of the earliest to be associated with Neanderthals.

Originally discovered in the 1950s, the decorated forelimb bone has previously been cited as evidence for the emergence of advanced cognitive abilities in this extinct human species, but had never been properly studied until now. However, using techniques including microscopy and X-ray computed tomography, the authors of a new study were able to finally get a closer look at the ancient object.

Advertisement

While it’s obviously impossible to illuminate the thought process of the prehistoric carver, the researchers point out that “the marks found on the bone are an ordered set, the organization of which does not resemble traces associated with butchering, cutting or accidental formation.” Rather, their arrangement “clearly demonstrate the intentionality and systemic organization of the incision making process,” thus hinting at their symbolic function.

With this in mind, the authors conclude that the markings “display some qualities consistent with the principles of perceptual organization indicative of the advanced cognitive and reflective abilities of their maker.” Despite being unable to decipher these etchings, the researchers go on to explain that other similar examples have been tentatively interpreted as either “numerical notation” or decorative aspects.

And despite the presence of these other items, the authors state that Neanderthal artifacts of this nature do not show up in the archaeological record prior to 130,000 years ago, making this “one of the earliest traces of symbolic culture recorded in Eurasia.”

Coincidentally, a second study published this week has identified the earliest evidence for bear butchery by Neanderthals in western Europe. The authors analyzed dozens of bones found in a cave in France, at least seven of which belonged to cave bears while a minimum of five were attributed to brown bears.

Advertisement

Dated to between 130,000 and 300,000 years ago, the ancient remains display markings that are consistent with butchering and skinning, indicating that the animals were hunted for their meat and fur. 

Putting this find into context, the authors explain that the hacked bones “represent the sole evidence of large carnivore and in particular bear exploitation by Neanderthals on the middle western bank of the Rhône River and constitute one of the oldest indications of this behavior in Europe.”

The two studies have been published in the Journal of Archaeological Science and Quaternary Science Reviews.

Deborah Bloomfield
Deborah Bloomfield

Related posts:

  1. Mexico cuts Pemex’s tax burden, forecasts 4.1% growth for 2022
  2. Matilda, Willy Wonka join Netflix catalog as it buys Roald Dahl’s works
  3. The Crab Hacker Barnacle Moves Into Crustaceans And Changes Their Sex
  4. Pedants, The Feeling Is Real. Hearing Bad Grammar Can Physically Stress You Out

Source Link: Engraved Bone Of Prehistoric Bear Is The Oldest Example Of Neanderthal Culture

Filed Under: News

Primary Sidebar

  • Martian Mudstone Has Features That Might Be Biosignatures, New Brain Implant Can Decode Your Internal Monologue, And Much More This Week
  • Crocodiles Weren’t All Blood-Thirsty Killers, Some Evolved To Be Plant-Eating Vegetarians
  • Stratospheric Warming Event May Be Unfolding In The Southern Polar Vortex, Shaking Up Global Weather Systems
  • 15 Years Ago, Bees In Brooklyn Appeared Red After Snacking Where They Shouldn’t
  • Carnian Pluvial Event: It Rained For 2 Million Years — And It Changed Planet Earth Forever
  • There’s Volcanic Unrest At The Campi Flegrei Caldera – Here’s What We Know
  • The “Rumpelstiltskin Effect”: When Just Getting A Diagnosis Is Enough To Start The Healing
  • In 1962, A Boy Found A Radioactive Capsule And Brought It Inside His House — With Tragic Results
  • This Cute Creature Has One Of The Largest Genomes Of Any Mammal, With 114 Chromosomes
  • Little Air And Dramatic Evolutionary Changes Await Future Humans On Mars
  • “Black Hole Stars” Might Solve Unexplained JWST Discovery
  • Pretty In Purple: Why Do Some Otters Have Purple Teeth And Bones? It’s All Down To Their Spiky Diets
  • The World’s Largest Carnivoran Is A 3,600-Kilogram Giant That Weighs More Than Your Car
  • Devastating “Rogue Waves” Finally Have An Explanation
  • Meet The “Masked Seducer”, A Unique Bat With A Never-Before-Seen Courtship Display
  • Alaska’s Salmon River Is Turning Orange – And It’s A Stark Warning
  • Meet The Heaviest Jelly In The Seas, Weighing Over Twice As Much As A Grand Piano
  • For The First Time, We’ve Found Evidence Climate Change Is Attracting Invasive Species To Canadian Arctic
  • What Are Microfiber Cloths, And How Do They Clean So Well?
  • Stowaway Rat That Hopped On A Flight From Miami Was A “Wake-Up Call” For Global Health
  • Business
  • Health
  • News
  • Science
  • Technology
  • +1 718 874 1545
  • +91 78878 22626
  • [email protected]
Office Address
Prudour Pvt. Ltd. 420 Lexington Avenue Suite 300 New York City, NY 10170.

Powered by Prudour Network

Copyrights © 2025 · Medical Market Report. All Rights Reserved.

Go to mobile version