Between 130,000 and 115,000 years ago, a brown bear carved 17 notches of a Neanderthal man in the part of the Carpathians in present-day Poland (Ursus facet) in the front limb bone.
The authors of the two newly published studies presented by IFL Science used state-of-the-art imaging methods to re-examine the find discovered in the Dziadowa Skała cave in the 1950s.
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A notched bear bone in four views is found in the Dziadowa Skała cave
Photo: T. Gąsior/Płonka et al.
A study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science claims that the incisions are not traces of hunting or subsequent gutting or dismemberment. According to the Polish researchers, the systematic arrangement of the notches clearly shows the symbolic function of the object. According to the conclusions of the Polish researchers, the incisions they examined show “characteristics that are consistent with the principles of the organization of perception, thus indicating the advanced cognitive and reflective abilities of their maker.” And although they did not come up with a closer explanation, they believe that the 17 runes were placed on the bear bone either as a “numerical marking” or as a decoration.
A study also recently published in Quaternary Science Reviews presents bear remains found in present-day France that were hunted by Neanderthal hunters in the same period. Compared to these, the function of the notched limb bone found in the Polish Carpathians is even clearer, which also confirms that this find is the earliest Eurasian evidence of the Neanderthal culture, reports IFL Science.
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Tags: notched bear bone Carpathians oldest Eurasian evidences Neanderthal culture
