A geode painted with ochre by the Neanderthal man

Cârciumaru, Marin; Nițu, Elena-Cristina; Cîrstina, Ovidiu

doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2014.05.003

Cited by 23 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…However, it is interesting to note that from the ethnographic record, the use of pigments has always had a primary use in social signalling rather than the signalling arising as a secondary purpose (Knight et al, 1995;Barham, 2002). This would certainly seem to be the case at Cioarei-Boroşteni Cave (Romania) dated to~47 ka, where a geode has been deliberately painted with red ochre (the authors suggest for some symbolic meaning) and where ochre preparation containers have been suggested from the upper components of stalagmites (Cârciumaru et al, 2015). This behaviour apparently dates before the arrival of H. sapiens in the region and therefore, if symbolic, could suggest that Neanderthals were an independently symbolic species before the arrival of H. sapiens in Europe (and see below).…”

Section: The Broader Behavioural Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aspects of human physical and behavioural evolution during the last 1 million years

Galway‐Witham

Cole

Stringer

2019

J Quaternary Science

107

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This paper reviews some of the main advances in our understanding of human evolution over the last 1 million years, presenting a holistic overview of a field defined by interdisciplinary approaches to studying the origins of our species. We begin by briefly summarizing the climatic context across the Old World for the last 1 million years before directly addressing the fossil and archaeological records. The main themes in this work explore (i) recent discoveries in the fossil record over the last 15 years, such as Homo naledi and Homo floresiensis; (ii) the implications of palaeogenetics for understanding the evolutionary history of, and relationships between, Neanderthals, Denisovans and Homo sapiens; (iii) the interplay between physiology and metabolic demand, landscape use, and behavioural adaptations in the evolution of morphological and behavioural innovation; and (iv) recent advances in archaeological understanding for the behavioural record, in particular that of the Neanderthals. This paper seeks to provide a broad‐scale, holistic perspective of our current understanding of human evolution for the last 1 Ma, providing a reference point for researchers that can be built upon as new discoveries continue to develop the landscapes of human evolution. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Quaternary Science Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Section: The Broader Behavioural Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aspects of human physical and behavioural evolution during the last 1 million years

Galway‐Witham

Cole

Stringer

2019

J Quaternary Science

107

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“…Lorblanchet depicts a few objects from sites in western and central Europe, which seem to have been saved by Neandertals (or earlier groups) as "curiosities" including a gastropod and piece of coral from Grotte du Renne, Arcy-sur-Cure (Lorblanchet, 1999). Cârciumaru et al (2014) report an ochered geode from Cioarei cave (Romania), which is unique at the site and seems to have been collected as a special item. Like the Krapina specimen, the geode is unique among more than the thousand lithics from Cioarei cave.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

An interesting rock from Krapina

Radovčić

Japundžić

Sršen

et al. 2016

Comptes Rendus Palevol

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a b s t r a c tSymbolic items are seldom associated with Neandertals and, when they are, many paleoanthropologists consider them to be Neandertal imitations from modern Homo sapiens. At the Croatian site of Krapina dated to MIS 5e or about 130,000 years ago, among many items, a split limestone rock was excavated by Dragutin Gorjanović-Kramberger between 1899-1905. This brownish rock reveals many dark dendritic forms in cross-and longitudinal section. Of more than 1000 lithic items at Krapina, none resemble this specimen and we propose it was collected and not further processed by the Neandertals because of its aesthetic attributes. Along with other examples from sites in western and central Europe and the recent discovery of eight modified white-tailed eagle talons from Krapina, this unique item suggests that Neandertals were capable, on their own, of incorporating symbolic objects into their culture.

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“…The talon tip is broken with wear traces, which in combination with adjacent pigments could possibly further indicate use of pigments by the Krapina Neanderthals. Both black and red pigments are known to be used for symbolic purposes, possibly body paint and cave painting at various sites, including within exclusively Neandertal contexts [39][40][41] . The black pigment is commonly of manganese oxide origin, but this is not detected on this talon.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surface analysis of an eagle talon from Krapina

Radovčić

Birarda

Sršen

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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the Krapina white-tailed eagle talons represent a kind of jewelry worn by Krapina neandertals some 130,000 years ago. New inspection of one Krapina talon (386.1) revealed a fiber, sealed by a thin silicate coating, adhering to the surface within a wide cut mark, as well as concentrated traces of occasional spots of red and yellow pigment and some black stains. We analyzed the fiber and small portions of pigmented areas by non-invasive, infrared synchrotron beam. Different areas were targeted, revealing the protein nature of the fiber, identified as of animal origin. Targeted areas revealed intra-and interstrand aggregation indicating the fiber to be collagen losing its original triple α-helix conformation, further confirming the diagenetic decay of the original collagen structure and the antiquity of the fiber. It is possible that the fiber is a remnant of the leather or sinew string binding the talons together. Spectroscopic analysis of the pigments in two isolated areas confirmed two types of ochre and that the dark spots are charcoal remnants. Applying novel non-invasive technologies provides new possibilities to further test the hypothesis of using prehistoric objects for symbolic purposes. Eight white-tailed eagle (Haliaëtus albicilla) talons and one foot phalanx were found at the Krapina Neandertal site, excavated between 1899-1905 1-3. The deposits are dated to 130,000 BP by ESR and uranium series 4. Only Neandertals were using the site, evidenced by Mousterian stone tools found in all the Krapina layers, as well as Neandertal remains found in all except the lowest layer. Yet, even here Mousterian stone tools were found in addition to faunal remains with anthropogenic cut marks 5-7. Deriving from the uppermost level, the talons are thought to be one of the earliest examples of Neandertal ornaments 8. The fact that eight talons were found in the same context together with an additional phalanx, and the fact that all of them contain evidence of anthropogenic modifications such as cut marks, nicks from the medial and lateral aspects of the plantar surface, and several heavily polished areas suggest that these were an assemblage worn as jewelry. Based on duplication of right talon 2 the talons belong to at least three different birds, indicating that acquiring them was intentional and not a fortuitous capture of a single eagle 8. This raptor species is a top diurnal avian predator with two-meter wingspan, not commonly encountered in the environment 9 and not an easy prey to acquire 10,11. So far, raptor talons and phalanges have been found at various European Neandertal sites, together with the remains of Mousterian and Châtelperronian techno-cultures 12-17. All these sites provide evidence of never more than a single talon in the same archaeological level. Only Krapina has multiple talons found in one level with multiple signs of manipulation strongly suggesting they were combined into a personal ornament. They are indeed unique in the European fossil record and, even in the Upper Paleolithic or Mesolithic pe...

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A geode painted with ochre by the Neanderthal man

Cited by 23 publications

References 21 publications

Aspects of human physical and behavioural evolution during the last 1 million years

Aspects of human physical and behavioural evolution during the last 1 million years

An interesting rock from Krapina

Surface analysis of an eagle talon from Krapina

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