Neanderthals fashioned wooden spears, structural poles, and charred bark trays between 62,000 and 40,000 years ago, as documented by researchers examining 597 specimens at Abric Romaní near Barcelona. Preserved by calcium carbonate deposits in a travertine rock shelter, the finds include 13 modified tools like spears, a club, structural poles, and charred bark trays, proving Neanderthals were skilled woodworkers.
Archaeological work at the Middle Paleolithic site of Abric Romaní in Spain has uncovered 597 wooden specimens across 16 layers dating from roughly 62,000 to 40,000 years ago. Led by Palmira Saladié at the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution, researchers detailed the remarkable finds in a paper published in the journal Science Advances
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Excavating Prehistoric Wood at Abric Romaní
At Abric Romaní, mineral-rich water coated branches and trunks with porous limestone travertine. As the wood decayed without oxygen, the rock shelter left hollow molds that preserved details down to the cellular level. Out of the recovered wood specimens, researchers identified 13 objects modified by Neanderthal hands, including structural poles possibly used for shelters, digging sticks, and two spears.
Domestic items recovered near hearths and working areas include four charred bark objects that could have been trays or containers to transport food or scoop up ashes. Researchers also identified a club-like object with a distinctly shaped handle and head that may have served as a weapon or heavy tool.
Uncovering Advanced Neanderthal Toolmaking
The Abric Romaní excavation began in 1983 under Eudald Carbonell and is directed by Palmira Saladié, M. Gema Chacón, and Josep Vallverdú. Previous wooden weapons and tools had been found at sites in Germany, Italy, and Greece, but the Spanish rock shelter stands out for the sheer variety of its preserved domestic and structural items. Sediments piled up quickly at the site, keeping hearths, butchered bones, stone tools, and wood together on the same living surfaces.
Neanderthal technology extended far beyond stone.
Josep Vallverdú
The study authors note that wood at the site was predominantly used as fuel, but the preservation of imprints and charred remains demonstrates its wider manufacture into tools. Researchers suggest that Neanderthals selected suitable wood, intentionally shaped the material, and tailored their tools for multiple uses. According to the research team, This variability reflects a flexible technological system supported by detailed technological knowledge and adaptive capacities.
M. Gema Chacón noted that Neanderthal behaviors appear very close to those of Homo sapiens, altering views of early humans away from simple cave dwellers.