Archaeologists have made a startling discovery in a cave in Northern Spain after unearthing 15 marine fossils.
This recent archaeological finding lays bare a fascinating aspect of Neanderthal behaviour, which includes their penchant for collecting.
Found in the Prado Vargas Cave, this marine fossil evidence hints that our ancestors were “earlier collectors” with a fondness for marine fossils – much like humans today.
It suggests that these extinct ancestors may have relished keeping certain small objects and memorabilia.
The findings indicate that Neanderthals exuded an “artistic interest” when it came to these “forms of nature”.
Earlier insight into the life of the Neanderthals suggested they enjoyed using objects to make things, occasionally altering these objects for personal adornment such as necklaces, as well as tools, including hammers.
But most discovered sites only found one or two objects, while this cave yielded a staggering 15 marine fossils.
Moreover, they’re also found to not be either “modified nor used as personal ornaments”, leading researchers to hypothesise their actual function.
According to research writers, there could be a number of reasons for the sheer number of marine fossils found, including them either being used as decorations or possibly being collected by Neanderthal children.
“These fossils can be understood as evidence of an artistic interest or an attraction or curiosity for the forms of nature,” wrote the authors of the study, which was published in the journal Quaternary.
They added: “Perhaps, like we do today, the people who collected them derived pleasure from the act of looking for them or finding them and keeping them.
“The fossils, with one exception, show no evidence of having been used as tools; thus, their presence in the cave could be attributed to collecting activities.”
Researchers believe these marine fossils were used by Neanderthal children who practiced this advanced cognition.
“They might have been collected by children. The collection of objects is characteristic of childhood, and remains of Neanderthal children were found in Prado Vargas,” they added.
Research has continually expanded when it comes the archaeological record of our ancestors who are believed to have shown highly advanced linguistic abilities including practicing and symbolic behavior.
It also suggests that Neanderthals displayed a deep appreciation for the natural world indicating their capabilities of displaying sophisticated thoughts and behaviors long before our species arrived.
“This seems to become an infinite spiral through which, at some point, we will be part of what we collect.”
