In Gorham Cave, in Gibraltar, they have found a rock carving made by Neanderthals that shows that modern man is not the only one who had the capacity for abstract symbolic thought.
Until now, cave paintings and engravings found in caves around the world were exclusively attributed to modern humans. Supposedly, the less evolved species (such as Neanderthals), did not have this capacity and it was not until modern humans arrived in Western Europe, about 40,000 years ago, that these engravings began to appear. However, this new discovery made by an international team and in which scientists from the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) have collaborated shows that this was not the case.
The find is a series of lines crossed at right angles to others made on a rock and approximately the size of the palm of a hand.
To determine how and why the lines were etched into the rock, the researchers conducted a microscopic and morphometric study of the incisions through photomicrographs . They also carried out experiments with different authentic lithic tools made by the Neanderthals of Gibraltar to check the type of lines they left in the stone. Once all the data had been collected, the researchers certified that the incisions had been produced in a repetitive and careful manner and that they were not accidental marks but would demonstrate intentionality.
“Despite its apparent simplicity, the Neanderthal engraving represents a qualitative leap in our knowledge of the cognitive capacity of these other now extinct humans : this type of abstract representations, without any apparent functionality, is exclusive to minds with the capacity for abstraction ”, As explained by the CSIC researcher Juan José Negro, from the Doñana Biological Station. “It is a cultural element, a unique phenomenon comparable to a work of art,” he adds.
Another proof that places the engravings in the time of the Neanderthals is chemical analysis. According to the data obtained, the mineral coating of the grooves of the engraving date its creation before the deposition of the layer of sediment that covers it, that is, they also point to a stage in which Neanderthals were present.
As the researchers explain, the abstract model found adds to other evidence in other sites with a Neanderthal presence, such as the use of pigments and tests of intentional burials, which show that the cognitive capacity of Neanderthals is greater than they had been. attributed so far.
Furthermore, Negro points out, this discovery published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) “is going to be a shock in the way of working in Neanderthal sites . Scholars are going to be much more attentive to clues that they have previously missed and that may further underpin the idea that Neanderthals were very similar to us. “
