Ropes and ropes were already integral parts of Neanderthal technology, researchers report: They have used a stone tool from our archaic cousins to detect the rest of a twist of three strands made from plant fibers. These cords may have been widely used in Neanderthal culture. As the researchers emphasize, their manufacture was quite demanding. The finding contradicts the old assumption that the Neanderthals were clearly inferior to modern people, mentally and technologically.
“You Neanderthals!” Everyone knows what is meant by this insult: Our archaic cousins still have a bad image. They are considered backward, rude and stupid. It is therefore not surprising that our clever ancestors were able to quickly displace them from Europe. But this picture has long ceased to correspond to the state of research. It is becoming increasingly clear that the Neanderthals were more similar to modern humans than was long thought.
Our archaic cousin deserves respect
For example, it is proven that they were skilled toolmakers, buried their dead, adorned themselves with pearls from shellfish, and possibly created cave art. Findings can only be used to a limited extent to determine how culturally developed they actually were, since most of the objects were probably made of transient materials that rarely left traces. In this context, anthropologists speak of the “missing majority”.
But in some cases traces of such transitory elements have been preserved. Even before the current study, finds of plant fiber residues had suggested that the Neanderthals were masters of cord making techniques. But other explanations seemed possible for the creation of these individual twisted fiber strands. So far there has been no clear proof of twisting techniques.
Three layers and twisted
The researchers around Bruce Hardy from Kenyon College in Gambier have now delivered it. The find comes from the Abri du Maras excavation site in southeastern France. The scientists discovered the six millimeter long and about 0.5 millimeter wide piece of plant fiber on the surface of a six centimeter stone blade, which dates from the Neanderthals: According to the dates, the finds are 41,000 to 52,000 years old.
The microscopic examination of the material now reveals the twist technology of the Neanderthals in literally three ways. According to the analysis results, the fragment consists of three individual fiber strands, each of which had been rotated clockwise. Then they were twisted together counterclockwise to create a stable thread, the scientists explain. “The rope fragment from Abri du Maras is now the oldest direct evidence of fiber technology,” the scientists write.
Was rope and cord part of the Neanderthal culture?
As they explain, the discovery of the fragment on the surface of the stone blade suggests that the cord was once wrapped around this tool as a handle. But it is also possible that the piece was part of a net or bag that contained the tool, Hardy and his colleagues write. According to them, it can be assumed that the Neanderthals also used ropes and cords for many different purposes.
The more detailed analysis of the fiber material showed that it is cellulose fibers that came from the bast of a conifer. As the scientists explain, this suggests that the Neanderthals were careful when extracting the raw material: only in early spring, when the juice begins to rise, can the bast fibers be more easily separated from the bark and the underlying wood. The Neanderthals may then soak the material in water to soften the fibers. After that, individual strands had to be separated and twisted into the rope structures, the researchers write.
According to them, it thus seems clear that fiber technology required a complex understanding of relationships that required high cognitive performance. The finding now joins the collection of evidence that shows that the Neanderthal man was probably largely on a par with modern humans, the researchers conclude.
Source: Scientific Reports, doi: 10.1038 / s41598-020-61839-w