An international team of researchers has made a surprising find that dates back 175,000 years: a structure made of 400 stalagmites deliberately placed in a circle next to remains of fire inside a cave in Bruniquel (south-eastern France). This discovery shows that the Neanderthals already used this technique long before the arrival of modern man (about 140,000 years before).
“ We have made about 15 dates and they all point to 175,000-176,000 years old , and this is due to the calcite that covers these structures, which is a very old material. But in Europe, at that time, only one species of the genus Homo lived, the Neanderthals. Only they could have done it ”, says Jacques Jaubert, co-author of the work, to the Sinc agency.
Scientists do not know the usefulness that the Neanderthals gave to these stalagmite structures (ritual purposes perhaps?) But it is clear that these hominids used the caves while exploring the old continent, either to protect themselves from predators or to shelter from the rain, a moment they took advantage of to develop what we can now say is the oldest construction of Homo neanderthalensis.
The structure, found 336 meters deep in the cave , has 400 cut stalagmites (of a similar size) and arranged in four rings propped up to prevent collapse. Called “speleofacts” by scientists, they accumulate a total weight of 2.2 tons and occupy 112 meters of extension.
Fire remains have been found around the mysterious stalagmite construction. The scientists carried out a 3D photogrammetry and an archaeo-magnetic survey to identify the heated areas and the sources of fire found. “These physical analyzes confirmed the presence of heated material,” explains Jaubert, evidencing the control of fire by Neanderthals, long before the arrival of Homo sapiens in Europe.
Thus, Neanderthals “had a purpose, organization, reflection and technical construction ingenuity. But for this period, this type of structure is exceptional if not unique ”, sentence Jaubert.
The study has been published in the journal Nature.
