Fossil collection found in Neanderthal cave suggests abstract thinking

20 Nov 2024, 13:30 by Justin Jackson

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Marine fossils from Level 4. (A) Pholadomya gigantea (Sowerby, 1836) (PV18 H29 159); (B) Granocardium productum (Sowerby, 1832) (PV22 9047); (C) Pleurotomaria sp. (PV20 F27); (D) Tetragramma variolare (Brongniart, 1822) (PV19 G27). Credit: Quaternary (2024). DOI: 10.3390/quat7040049

Research led by the Universidad de Burgos has uncovered evidence suggesting Neanderthals engaged in collecting activities based on discoveries at the Prado Vargas Cave in Burgos, Spain. Fifteen Upper Cretaceous marine fossils were found, indicating that Neanderthals may have gathered these objects for reasons beyond practical utility.

Collecting objects simply for their aesthetic interest is considered a very human thing to do, a modern leisure activity involving the gathering of art, stamps, coins, marbles, comic books, Pokémon or Magic cards, and figurines of every description. Just about anything can become collectible if the collector decides to indulge themselves.

Assyrian King Ashurbanipal in the 7th century BCE was a collector of clay tablets, the first version of a book collection in recorded history. But the true habit of hanging on to interesting objects is likely far older than that. For instance, a reddish jasper stone resembling a human face was found in the Makapansgat Valley in South Africa and is thought to have been collected by an Australopithecus africanus, who placed it in a cave for safekeeping. An engraved mussel shell found on the island of Java was associated with Homo erectus.

In Neanderthal dwellings, many such curiosities have been unearthed, often coming from sources far away from the Neanderthal home: sea shells and quartz crystals, antlered skulls and a variety of fossils, with some fossils centered on cutting tools.

This is all evidence that early hominins exhibited curiosity and interest in objects that had no immediate practical use, but held a positive aesthetic value.

In a study titled "Were Neanderthals the First Collectors? First Evidence Recovered in Level 4 of the Prado Vargas Cave, Cornejo, Burgos and Spain," the team examines 15 fossils lacking utilitarian value that appear to have been intentionally brought into the cave.

The research is published in the journal Quaternary.

Detailed analysis of the Prado Vargas Cave's stratigraphic sequence revealed fossil artifacts on Mousterian Level N4, an area dated to approximately 39.8–54.6 thousand years ago. Archaeological evidence suggests Neanderthals occupied the cave as a stable camp, engaging in toolmaking, deer hunting, and possibly symbolic behaviors.

Geological and geographical situation of Prado Vargas site. Credit: Quaternary (2024). DOI: 10.3390/quat7040049

Fifteen marine fossils were identified, with an average size of under 2 inches (5 cm), including species like Tylostoma, Granocardium productum, and Pholadomya gigantea. Showing no signs of use as tools or ornaments, their presence in the cave could be attributed to collecting activities motivated by an aesthetic or symbolic interest.

The artifacts were not native to the cave's immediate geological context and were likely collected from Upper Cretaceous formations in the surrounding area, some originating from over 30 kilometers away.

Detailed examination revealed that only one fossil showed signs of potential use as a hammer, while the rest lacked modifications indicative of practical utility. Possible motivations for collecting these fossils suggested in the study include aesthetic appreciation, symbolic significance, or social practices such as gift-giving or exchange.

Cognitive capacities involved in this behavior suggest the collector possessed abstract thinking abilities. Previous evidence has indicated that Neanderthals participated in practices such as burial, use of pigments, the creation of ornaments and cave wall art. Collecting non-utilitarian objects like fossils enhances our comprehension of their cultural complexity.

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The study mentions the presence of children among the Neanderthal settlement, and even suggests that it might be the children who collected the fossils. Something not specifically mentioned in the study is a social practice prolific among modern-day children. What if the collected items were used in some sort of a game?

Gaming and toy artifacts are often overlooked as possessing utility in archaeology. Even when considering modern human artifacts, unknown aesthetic objects are often ascribed to having a ritualistic or symbolic meaning, only later to be reconsidered as gaming pieces or children's toys.

If the Neanderthal motivations were like our own, they likely spent a decent amount of time at play. It is at least worth considering that we could be seeing the earliest version of a fossil dice or marble game, or perhaps a more complicated game where the collection of exceptionally rare pieces offers a distinct advantage on game night.

Then again, if they were really like us, they could just have been curious about the extinct creatures they found captured in the fossil record.

More information: Marta Navazo Ruiz et al, Were Neanderthals the First Collectors? First Evidence Recovered in Level 4 of the Prado Vargas Cave, Cornejo, Burgos and Spain, Quaternary (2024). DOI: 10.3390/quat7040049