The Neanderthals in Europe already had their own sense of style long before their encounter with modern humans. Findings of a new study have revealed that this now extinct species wore eagle claws as jewelry.
In a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE on March 11, researchers reported the remains of what looked like a necklace or bracelet that was made by Neanderthals with the artifact being considered as another evidence that the Neanderthals had their own meaningful symbols and culture even before the Homo sapiens arrived in Europe. Study author David Frayer, from the University of Kansas described the finding as a stunning discovery.
"It's one of those things that just appeared out of the blue. It's so unexpected and it's so startling because there's just nothing like it until very recent times to find this kind of jewelry," Frayer said
Frayer and colleagues identified a set of eight talons from white-tailed eagles dating from about 130,000 years ago that are characterized by marks and polishing facets suggesting that they were strung together to form a piece of jewelry.
The white-tailed eagle, also known as sea eagle still exists today. It is in fact the national bird of Germany appearing in the German coat of arms and is often shown to grasp a fish.
The researchers said that although the eagle talons were discovered over 100 years ago at the Krapina Neanderthal site that was excavated between 1899 and 1905, only recently did they manage to recognize the cut marks present on the bones as a form of human manipulation.
The researcher added that while the Neanderthals are often believed to be simple-minded, knowing more about them indicate that they are more sophisticated than they are being credited for.
Recent research suggest that the Neanderthals, the closest known relatives of modern humans that lived in Eurasia between 200,000 and 30,000 years ago, have buried their dead, made art and adorned themselves with feathers.
Frayer said that the deliberate making and wearing of jewelry suggest that the Neanderthals have some degree of symbolic thought and planning.
"Some have argued that Neanderthals lacked symbolic ability or copied this behavior from modern humans," Frayer and colleagues wrote in their study. "These remains clearly show that the Krapina Neanderthals made jewelry well before the appearance of modern humans in Europe, extending ornament production and symbolic activity early into the European Mousterian."
