Surface analysis of an eagle talon from Krapina

Abstract

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...

On holes and strings: Earliest displays of human adornment in the Middle Palaeolithic

“…There are other claims for strung and perforated ornaments earlier than 100 ka BP [55,56] but the chrono-stratigraphic context of the examples they provide have not been confirmed [57]. The only persuasive case is the recent reexamination of eagle talons from Krapina that revealed a fiber fragment attached to a talon, apparently dating to 130 ka BP [58]. To date, this find has no parallel.…”

An elusive ghost: Searching for the Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) in the past of Britain

“…Eagle Owl remains have also been reported from sites dating back to much more ancient times, for example, the Neanderthal period (e.g., Grotte du Renne, France Majkić et al, 2017). Along with the remains of other species of large predatory eagles and birds, they are associated with use for specific symbolic purposes, such as the use of talons for ornaments and perhaps also the targeting of feathers (see also Morin & Laroulandie, 2012; Radovčić et al, 2015; Radovčić et al, 2020; Rodríguez‐Hidalgo et al, 2019).…”

O primeiro povoamento do Homo sapiens na Itália

“…Em casos especí cos, foram identi cadas a retirada e manipulação de garras de aves de rapina ligada a algum uso funcional (ROMANDINI et al, 2014;RADOVČIĆ et al, 2020), além de remoção de penas interpretadas como função de adorno (PERESANI et al, 2011;JAUBERT et al 2022).…”