What does a find in a cave in northern Germany say about Neanderthal thinking? | Germany | >

Archaeologists have discovered in the state of Lower Saxony in northern Germany a processed giant deer bone, which proves that the cognitive skills of Neanderthals were more advanced than previously thought. The journal Nature Ecology and Evolution published the research results on Monday, July 5th. The age of the find is at least 51 thousand years, the specialists of the laboratory at the University of Keele found out using radiocarbon dating.

We are talking about the phalanx of an extinct representative of the genus Megaloceros giganteus, about 6 centimeters long and 4 centimeters wide, decorated with a pattern of six notches. It was discovered in 2020 at the entrance to a karst cave near the city of Herzberg am Harz during excavations led by specialists from the University of Göttingen and the land office for the protection of monuments.

Stone tools and an hour and a half to apply the pattern

The bone had to be boiled before applying the ornament, experts say. The researchers came to this conclusion after conducting experiments with the bones of modern representatives of large horned animals. According to the authors, after processing, it took the Neanderthals about an hour and a half to carve a pattern on the softened material with stone tools.

The find from the Middle Paleolithic shows that the Neanderthal had abstract thinking – a prerequisite for combining individual lines into a single ornament, the authors of the study note. This representative of the human race was able to convey information using symbols thousands of years before the advent of Homo sapiens in Europe, said project leader Thomas Terberger. It is known that the Neanderthals made tools and weapons, but all the jewelry, rock paintings or handmade figurines found so far belong to a later era.

So, in France, pendants and claws used as decorations, whose age is 40 thousand years, were discovered. However, many researchers consider these objects of the Neanderthals to be only their imitation of Homo sapiens, whose range had already covered parts of Europe by that time.

See also:

• Swabian Caves – World Heritage Site

  Swabian Alb

  “Venus of Swabia” is the oldest image of a person found in the world. And the most famous of more than fifty different figures found in Germany in the caves of the Swabian Alb region. Their age is estimated at 40 thousand years. You can see this 6-centimeter bone carved figurine in the archaeological museum in Blaubeuren in Baden-Württemberg.

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  Swabian Caves – World Heritage Site

  Hole Fels

  In Germany, this figurine is also known as Venus vom Hohle Fels, after the Hole Fels cave near Stuttgart, where it was discovered in 2008. Most of the other finds here are of animals. All of them belong to the Aurignacian culture of the beginning of the Late Paleolithic – the times when Neanderthals still lived on Earth, but their author was already Homo sapiens.

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  Swabian Caves – World Heritage Site

  Valley of the river Ah

  There were almost no trees on this plateau during the Ice Age. Mammoths and deer grazed in the middle of the steppe landscapes. Now the Swabian Alb is covered with forest. There are more than two thousand karst caves here. Six of them, in which scientists have made sensational finds, have now received the status of World Heritage Sites. Some of these caves are located in the valley of the Achtal river near Ulm.

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  Swabian Caves – World Heritage Site

  Gaisenklösterle

  Three bone flutes were found in the Geißenklösterle cave. One of them is now also on display at the Blaubeuren Museum. The cave itself is only accessible on special days, but it is not very deep, so the place where the flutes were found can be seen through the grate.

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  Swabian Caves – World Heritage Site

  Zirgenstein

  The next cave, listed by UNESCO, is free for everyone, but the entrance is still closed for the winter due to bats. The depth of the Sirgenstein Cave is 42 meters. Archaeologists have established that primitive people preferred to be near the entrance, where they made fires, worked and slept. In the Middle Ages, local residents believed that a terrible Cyclops used to live here.

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  Swabian Caves – World Heritage Site

  Lonetal

  The other three caves are located in the Lonetal valley near the cities of Heidenheim and Ulm: Vogelherd, Hohlenstein and Bockstein. Around them, as well as in the valley of the Akh River, protected zones have been created, in which any work is prohibited without the consent of the department for the protection of monuments.

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  Swabian Caves – World Heritage Site

  Holenstein

  Archaeological excavations in the Swabian Alb region began in the 19th century. Even then, scientists discovered here traces left by primitive people. Among them are the remains of fireplaces, tools, weapons, horns, ornaments made of stone. About 10 thousand bones of cave bears were found in Holenstein in 1861. The front of this cave is now open to visitors. In the photo – excavations in 1937.

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  Swabian Caves – World Heritage Site

  Lion man

  A real sensation from the Holenstein Cave was the 31-centimeter figurine of a creature with a human body and a lion’s head. It is considered the oldest zoomorphic sculpture in the world. In this illustration, a Swabian lion-man (lion-man), assembled from hundreds of shards, is shown from different angles. It is now part of the permanent exhibition of the Ulm City Museum.

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  Swabian Caves – World Heritage Site

  Vogelherd

  The next cave, Vogelherd (“Bird’s Nest”), has a particularly advantageous location. It overlooks the entire valley, so the inhabitants could already see from afar approaching enemies or potential prey. Among the finds are ten animal figurines carved from mammoth ivory. Some are now on display at the local archaeological park.

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  Swabian Caves – World Heritage Site

  wild Horse

  The most famous find from Vogelherd Cave is this 5 cm depiction of a wild horse. The gracefully curved neck and rounded shape demonstrate the skills and abilities that primitive people possessed. This find can be seen in the exposition of the Hohentübingen castle in the city of Tübingen.

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  Swabian Caves – World Heritage Site

  Boxstein

  There are several caves in Bockstein that can be visited. They were inhabited by Neanderthals more than 60 thousand years ago, even before primitive people. In 2017, the “Caves of the Oldest Ice Age Art” in the Swabian Alb region received the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  Author: Elisabeth York von Wartenburg, Maxim Nelyubin

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