Neanderthal wooden tools from Spain found preserved in stone
摘要
西班牙考古团队在巴塞罗那附近Abric Romaní遗址发现约6.2万至4万年前的尼安德特人木器遗存。富含矿物质的水将木器包裹在类似石灰岩的硬壳中，木材腐烂后留下空心模具，保留了器物形状。研究共记录597件木质遗存，包括矛、挖掘棒、树皮托盘、住所构件及一件此前未见过的棍棒。这表明尼安德特人的木制工具用途广泛，其技术与行为可能比以往认为的更为复杂。
The Stone Age owes its name to tools that survived to our time. The material early humans worked with most, though, was probably wood because it is so much easier to process. Unfortunately, we know very little about Paleolithic woodwork because wood rots relatively quickly. But at Abric Romaní, a rock shelter in Capellades, west of Barcelona, mineral-rich water coated wooden Neanderthal tools in a limestone-like crust. When wood rotted away, it left behind hollow molds that faithfully reflect its shape.
In a recent Science Advances study, a team of Spanish archaeologists has cataloged 597 wooden remains from Neanderthal living areas dating from 62,000 to 40,000 years ago. They found spears, digging sticks, bark trays, parts of shelters, and a club unlike anything seen before, suggesting Neanderthals were likely much more than just Homo sapiens’ dumber cousins.
Beyond hunting gear
The oldest wooden artifacts we have are mostly weapons. They include spears from a German town called Schöningen, a spear tip from Clacton-on-Sea in England, and the spear found alongside an elephant skeleton in Lehringen, Germany. Most came from waterlogged sediments, where a lack of oxygen slowed decay.
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