Archaeologists find a 60,000-year-old fireplace that Neanderthals may have used to make tar

Archaeologists who discovered a cave used by early humans around 60,000 years ago have made an incredible discovery, providing insight into the complexities of early humans.

They found a pit dug into the ground in the coastal Vanguard Cave in Gilbraltar that was used by Neanderthals to extract sticky resin from woody plants.

“The results are significant in that they reveal a complex level of cognition among Neanderthals, suggesting that they understood the plants they had to select and the complex industrial process required to produce tar,” said the Gibraltar National Museum of the British Overseas Territory made a statement.

Bones and tools were previously uncovered in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Gorham’s Cave Complex.

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The tar was used to make spears for hunting red deer, wild boar and other animals, and was used by early humans to protect themselves from predators such as lions, wolves and bears. They may have accomplished this by burying the plants before heating them with fire, cutting them off from oxygen and allowing them to produce the resin without burning the wood.

The results were published this month by a group of dozens of international scientists Reviews of Quaternary Science.

To reach these conclusions, the group conducted an archaeological experiment that showed that the pit or “hearth” was compatible with tar extraction. They found traces of ash, charcoal, zinc and copper, and possibly tar crystals.

“From the results obtained it appears that the tar was obtained from gum rockrose (Cistus ladanifer) instead of birch. Birch would have been a rare tree in these Mediterranean latitudes, whereas cistus would have been abundant. It is noteworthy that the labdanum obtained from these rock roses was used in perfumes, as a cough medicine or even as an antiseptic until the 20th century^Th Century,” the museum said.

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Until now, it was unknown how the Neanderthals produced tar.

The museum said the environmental conditions that sealed the material evidence for at least 40,000 years allowed for “instant snapshots” of their activities, as well as the preservation of pollen and spores that confirmed ecological conditions outside the cave.

However, it is worth noting that not everyone is convinced of this. This was recently reported by two archaeologists who were not involved in the study Science that there was not enough evidence that Neanderthals burned the wood specifically to make tar.