New analysis of fossils found in Spanish cave suggests Neanderthals were capable of abstract thought, before any interaction with Homo sapiens.
A total of 15 small marine fossils were discovered in the Prado Vargas cave in Burgosand according to researchers at the University of Burgos and the University of Malaga in Spain, the majority of them would have had little practical value.
This means that these fossilized sea creatures were most likely collectibles, deliberately collected by ancient hominids for a purpose other than humanity. essential utility. This points to abstract thoughtthe ability to think beyond current and immediate experience, a key human trait.
“The fossils, with one exception, show no evidence of having been used as tools,” to write the researchers in their published article. “Thus, their presence in the cave could be attributed to collecting activities.”
“These activities may have been motivated by many tangible and intangible causes, suggesting that collecting activities and associated abstract thinking were present in Neanderthals before the arrival of modern humans.”
The more we learn about our distant cousins, the smarter they seem to have been.
It is not the first time that Neanderthals collected objects that were not tools, but this collection is larger than previous discoveries. Dated to around 39,800 to 54,600 years ago, the fossils appear to have been part of an established community camp.
However, it is tricky to identify which of the “tangible and intangible causes” applies here. Researchers raise the possibility that they had ornamental value, were used in barter, gave the group a cultural identity, or were perhaps collected as gifts.
They could even be children’s toys, as there is evidence of children living in the cave. In short, the reasons for collecting are potentially as varied as the reasons why we continue to collect items today.
“They may have been discovered intentionally or by chance, but their transport to the cave must have been deliberate, implying a desire to collect these fossils,” to write the researchers. “In both cases they would have special significance.”
Whatever the use of these collectibles, it is significant that there is no evidence of early human activity in this area at the same time; it appears to be a behavior that Neanderthals developed themselves.
Our inclination to collect goes back a long way – perhaps as far back as half a million years – but there is much debate about when it actually started and with which species. The Prado Vargas fossil harvest offers a fascinating new insight into the timeline of collecting and considering concepts beyond the immediate, here and now.
“These fossils can be understood as evidence of an artistic interest or an attraction or curiosity for the forms of nature,” to write the researchers. “They do not have a utilitarian purpose and their interpretation is therefore controversial.”
The research was published in Quaternary.