Discovery of a print made by Neanderthals in a cave … – The Reason

The capacity for symbolic thought is not unique to modern man, or at least, that seems to indicate a Neanderthal found engraved on a rock Gorham’s Cave in Gibraltar.

So far, the production cave wall carvings and cave paintings are considered fruit of human evolution and a unique ability of modern humans, who arrived in Western Europe around 40,000 years ago.

However, an international study published today in the scientific journal PNAS, in which they have participated Spanish researchers, presents the first demonstrable case of an abstract design made by Neanderthals.

B, the size of the palm of a hand and carried on a rock, is a plot of lines crossed at right angles.

To determine how and why these lines were recorded in the rock, the researchers conducted a microscopic and morphometric study of the incisions through photomicrographs .

also did experiments with authentic stone tools made by Neanderthals of Gibraltar to see the kind of lines left on the stone.

With tests like these, the researchers came to the conclusion that the print is not accidental, but a deliberate work of Neanderthals.

“Despite its apparent simplicity, the Neanderthals engraving represents a quantum leap in our understanding of the cognitive capabilities of these other humans and extinct: this kind of abstract representations, without any apparent functionality is unique to minds capable of abstraction, “says researcher John Joseph Black CSIC, Biological Station of Doñana

As. This researcher analyzed engraving is “a cultural element” and “a unique phenomenon comparable to a work of art.”

Geochemical analysis of mineral coating etching grooves creation date to a stage that the Neanderthals were present.

According to scientists, this finding other evidence found in other Neanderthal sites, such as the use of pigments or evidence of intentional burial, adds signals showing that cognitive ability Neanderthals is greater than what was allocated to them until now.

The discovery “will mean a jolt in the form of work in the fields Neanderthals, as scholars now going to be much more attentive to signs that have previously been overlooked and may further bolster the idea that these men were very similar to us, “concludes the researcher.