Fragments of the oldest rope on Earth found in a French cave

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Fragments of the oldest rope on Earth found in a French cave
Fragments of the oldest rope on Earth found in a French cave
Anonim

In one of the Neanderthal caves in France, scientists found scraps of plant fibers woven into a rope. It was used by the first inhabitants of Europe about 52–41 thousand years ago. Photos of the findings and conclusions of anthropologists were published by the scientific journal Scientific Reports.

“Intertwined plant fibers form the basis of clothing, ropes, bags, nets, boats and many other household items that have become an integral part of human life after they invented them. Neanderthals not only knew how to use intertwined fibers, but also understood their structure. suggests that they knew the basics of mathematics and could master complex technologies, - write the anthropologists.

Scientists have long believed that Neanderthals were noticeably inferior in cultural development to Cro-Magnons and other early Homo sapiens. Presumably they did not know how to speak and kindle a fire, they did not have either culture or religion. Excavations in recent years in Croatia, Israel and Spain show that these beliefs were wrong.

In particular, four years ago, archaeologists found Neanderthal necklaces made from the claws of birds of prey in the Croatian Krapina cave, and in northern Spain they later found several samples of "advanced" Neanderthal rock art. In addition, they found out that the neighbors of the Cro-Magnons collected stones, brewed medicinal teas and made abstract tattoos, and they also had quite complex funeral rituals.

An international team of anthropologists led by Bruce Hardy, a professor at Kenyon College in Gambier (USA), has discovered another example of how Neanderthals were not inferior to the ancestors of Homo sapiens in intelligence. They made an unusual find in the Abri du Mara cave in southeastern France.

Neanderthal technology

Scientists have been working in this cave for many decades. In the night at its bottom, they found many remains of the Neanderthals, as well as the tools they made. For example, in 2013, Hardy and his colleagues found javelin tips in a cave that anthropologists in the past believed Neanderthals did not know how to use.

After the authors of the article continued their excavations, they came across a strange artifact - a flat and very narrow stone tool six centimeters long, to which a very short fragment of plant fibers was attached. After separating a small piece from it, the researchers examined its structure under a microscope in the hope of understanding how they bonded to each other.

Much to the surprise of the researchers, these plant threads turned out to be part of a rope woven from three separate bundles of fibers. In its structure, it was no different from how modern decorative ropes look, which are woven from grass and other vegetation.

Scientists believe that the fibers of this rope were made by the inhabitants of the cave from the lower layers of the bark of coniferous trees, presumably pine. This suggests that the Neanderthals had a good understanding of how trees are arranged and what parts of them can be used for various practical tasks.

It is not yet clear what exactly the Neanderthals used this rope for. According to Hardy and his colleagues, it could be either part of some kind of trapping net or other tools, or part of a bag or bag in which the artifact they found was kept. Both indicate that the Neanderthals were not inferior in the level of mental development to the ancient Homo sapiens.

This is also supported by the fact that the age of this artifact is at least 41 thousand years. It turns out that he is about twice as old as the previous record holder, the rope, which was found in the Cro-Magnon camp in the Israeli Ohalo cave in 1994. This suggests that many "advanced" technologies, supposedly invented by Homo sapiens, actually appeared much earlier and were first mastered not by Cro-Magnons, but by Neanderthals, scientists note.

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