Being called a Neanderthal might not have as much weight it did before. Researchers are looking at the possibility that modern humans aren't the only ones capable of abstract expression and thought.
According to a study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, engravings have been found in Gibraltar's Gorham's Cave, the first pieces of evidence linked to artistic skill in Neanderthals. The findings of the study have significance because they show that Neanderthals may have more in common with modern humans than what was previously believed.
The engravings are simple, made up of eight lines partially crisscrossing with two shorter lines on the left and three on the right. The lines were incised on a bedrock shelf jutting out from the cave's wall around 16 inches from the floor.
According to analysis, the engravings were deliberately made on the rock. They were not accidental marks left by day-to-day Neanderthal activities, meaning there was a purpose behind each one of those lines. And based on what researchers are saying, these marks may prove that Neanderthals were also capable of artistic expression on their own terms.
Still, many are skeptical that the marks were made by Neanderthals, claiming that carbon dating results from previous studies raise the possibility that modern humans were responsible for the marks. Modern humans were recorded to have appeared in Europe around 43,000 to 45,000 years ago while Neanderthals disappeared between 39,260 and 41,030 years ago. With the chance that an overlap may have happened, skeptics are not quick to praise this newly discovered art skill that Neanderthals apparently had.
The study reiterates that the engravings were made by Neanderthals by testing the sediments found on top of the marks. The sediments contain 294 kinds of stone tools that have been previously discovered, all produced in a style that has been associated with Neanderthals. As the tools were dated to be about 39,000 years old, about the same time as Neanderthals went extinct, this means that the engravings underneath are much older than the sediments covering them.
"All European Neanderthal fossil sites from this period, including Devil's Tower Rock Shelter just one mile from Gorham's Cave, have this technology associated. In contrast no modern human site in Europe has this type of technology. So we are confident that the tools were made by Neanderthals," said Clive Finlayson, Gibraltar Museum heritage division director and one of the study's authors.
Aside from possible artistic skill, Neanderthals appears to be also capable of catching birds, what with toasted pigeon being a favorite dish as proven by recent archaeological finds. In addition, Neanderthals also liked the same parts modern humans liked when feasting on birds, like the wings, drumsticks, and breasts.
