The work of Neanderthals: Ancient ring-like structures from 176,000 years ago

l a times ^ | 05/25/2016 | Deborah Netburn

[BenLurkin]

Deep in a dark cave in southwestern France lie half a dozen mysterious structures that scientists believe were built by Neanderthals 176,000 years ago -- about 140,000 years before the first modern humans arrived in Europe.

The structures, described Wednesday in the journal Nature, are located in what is known as the Bruniquel Cave. They are made of roughly 400 pieces of stalagmites, all roughly, almost eerily, the same size.

Archaeologists say these mineral formations were probably broken off the cave floor by ancient hands and then deliberately arranged into two large rings and a series of four round piles up to 15 inches high.

If all the pieces were gathered up and placed on a scale, they would weigh 2.4 tons.

they may have been used to contain fire, perhaps to light the cave.

Experts say the assemblages are unlike anything else in the historical record. It is still unclear exactly what purpose they served -- whether some type of domestic use or a ritual or symbolic behavior.

Regardless, they represent some of the earliest known constructions made by hominids, as well as the earliest known evidence of cave use by early humans. They also suggest that early Neanderthals may have had better control over fire than was previously thought.

And perhaps most intriguingly, the study authors say that the group responsible for the mysterious construction must have had a fairly sophisticated social structure.

"Building these structures was a project. It required an objective which has been discussed among several people and enough social organization to assign tasks," said Jacques Jaubert of the University of Bordeaux in France and the first author on the study. "Certainly, it was a collective work."

[Bernard Marx]

Looks like a dildo collection. And I bet this is a lot closer to the truth than most of the guesses. Celebration of sexuality or something politically incorrect like that.

That was my first thought too. Fertility rites seem to be deeply-imbedded in human culture reaching far back into the past. Anything in nature with a phallic appearance might have held deep significance for the Neanderthals. Phallic worship in India goes back to prehistoric times.

[lonevoice]

Fascinating. Click to read the entire article and see pics.

[Grimmy]

I was thinking it looked more like an early form of a “time out” circle for misbehavioral yooths.

[To Hell With Poverty]

Srsly. In a big wet cave, no less.

[gleeaikin]

The article said that they were able to date using burned bone, and there is a photo of fire stained area. It also said the area had been protected by calcite, presumably deposited relatively soon after use by man. I wonder if any digging has been done under this calcite layer, or if they are still just studying the surface.

[SunkenCiv]

Since 176K is over three times the radiocarbon dating limit, I'd better read this in more detail to find out the method used. :')

[SunkenCiv]

The Neandertal Enigma
by James Shreeve
in local libraries

"Frayer's own reading of the record reveals a number of overlooked traits that clearly and specifically link the Neandertals to the Cro-Magnons. One such trait is the shape of the opening of the nerve canal in the lower jaw, a spot where dentists often give a pain-blocking injection. In many Neandertal, the upper portion of the opening is covered by a broad bony ridge, a curious feature also carried by a significant number of Cro-Magnons. But none of the alleged 'ancestors of us all' fossils from Africa have it, and it is extremely rare in modern people outside Europe." [pp 126-127]