Level 1 - Absolute Beginner
Scientists find old wooden tools made by Neanderthals. The tools are from a cave site near Barcelona in Spain.
The tools are very old. They are about 62,000 to 42,000 years old.
One tool looks like a small club. It has a handle and a head. Nobody knows its use.
Wood is rare in old sites because it rots. Here, a stone-like mineral kept its shape.
- Neanderthal
- An early human who lived long ago.
- tool
- Something you use to do work.
- wooden
- Made of wood.
- club
- A short stick with a heavy end.
- handle
- The part you hold.
- rare
- Not common.
- rot
- To break down and decay.
- mineral
- A natural hard material.
Level 2 - Elementary
A new study in the journal Science Advances looks at wooden tools made by Neanderthals. The team was led by Palmira Saladie of the IPHES-CERCA institute. The tools come from Abric Romani, a site near Barcelona in Spain.
The researchers studied 597 wooden remains and imprints. They are between about 62,000 and 42,000 years old. Thirteen of them are real tools or parts of buildings, such as spears, pointed sticks and bark trays.
The most unusual find is a club-like object. Its handle is about 16 centimeters long, and its head has a triangle shape. Scientists say there is no known match for it from prehistoric sites.
Wood usually rots, so it is rarely found. At this site, a mineral called travertine formed around the wood and kept its shape.
- journal
- A magazine for scientific studies.
- institute
- An organization for research.
- remains
- Parts that are left.
- imprint
- A mark left in a surface.
- spear
- A long stick with a sharp point.
- bark
- The outside layer of a tree.
- prehistoric
- From before writing was used.
- travertine
- A mineral that forms around objects in water.
Level 3 - Intermediate
Neanderthals were more skilled woodworkers than many researchers assumed, according to a study in Science Advances. A team led by Palmira Saladie of IPHES-CERCA analysed wooden material from Abric Romani, a rock shelter site near Barcelona, Spain.
The collection amounts to 597 wooden remains and imprints dated to roughly 62,000 to 42,000 years ago, although some reports give a slightly different end date. Thirteen of them were identified as artifacts, among them spears, pointed sticks, bark trays and structural elements.
The standout find is a club-like object with a handle about 16 centimeters long and a triangular head set at a sharp angle. Scrape marks show deliberate shaping, yet its purpose remains uncertain and the authors say it has no known parallel in the prehistoric record.
Wood rarely survives, which has hidden its importance. Here, calcium carbonate from travertine formed molds around decaying wood, sometimes preserving cellular detail, and the authors argue that woodworking sat alongside stone tools at the core of Neanderthal technology.
- skilled
- Having the ability to do something well.
- artifacts
- Objects made by people.
- structural
- Related to how something is built.
- standout
- Especially notable.
- deliberate
- Done on purpose.
- parallel
- A similar example elsewhere.
- molds
- Hollow shapes left around an object.
- technology
- Tools and methods used to solve problems.
Level 4 - Advanced
For decades, the story of Neanderthal technology has been told largely in stone, simply because stone survives. A study in Science Advances, led by Palmira Saladie of IPHES-CERCA, argues that this bias has obscured a richer reality, based on the first comprehensive analysis of wooden remains from Abric Romani near Barcelona.
The assemblage comprises 597 wooden remains and imprints, dated to roughly 62,000 to 42,000 years ago, with some accounts extending to about 40,000. Thirteen were classed as artifacts, among them spears, pointed sticks, bark trays and structural elements, a range that suggests wood was woven into daily life rather than reserved for occasional use.
The most arresting object is a club-like implement with a handle some 16 centimeters long and a triangular head set at a sharp angle. Scrape marks attest to careful shaping, but its function is unresolved, and the authors report no parallel anywhere in the prehistoric record. Press accounts variously call it a club or a mace, and its precise dimensions differ between reports.
Preservation here is the exception that proves the rule: calcium carbonate from travertine moulded itself around decaying timber, in some cases retaining cellular detail. The researchers contend that woodworking was integral to Neanderthal technology, and that its significance has been systematically underestimated.
- bias
- A tendency that distorts the picture.
- obscured
- Made hard to see.
- assemblage
- A collection of items found together.
- implement
- A tool or instrument.
- attest
- To serve as evidence.
- unresolved
- Not yet settled.
- integral
- Essential.
- underestimated
- Judged to be less than it really is.
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