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wo mysterious stone rings found deep inside a French cave were probably built by Neanderthals about 176,500 years ago, proving that the ancient cousins of humans were capable of more complex behavior than previously thought, scientists say.
The structures were made from hundreds of pillar-shaped mineral deposits, called stalagmites, which were chopped to a similar length and laid out in two oval patterns up to 40 centimeters (16 inches) inches high. They were discovered by chance in 1990, after remaining untouched for tens of thousands of years because a rockslide had closed the mouth of the cave at Bruniquel in southwest France.
While previous research had suggested the structures pre-dated the arrival of modern humans in Europe around 45,000 years ago, the notion that Neanderthals could have made them didn't fit long-held assumptions that these early humans were incapable of the kind of complex behavior necessary to work underground.
"Their presence at 336 meters (368 yards) from the entrance of the cave indicates that humans from this period had already mastered the underground environment, which can be considered a major step in human modernity," the researchers concluded in a study published online Wednesday by the journal Nature.
Jaubert ruled out that the carefully constructed rings, which show traces of fire, could have come about by chance or been assembled by animals such as the bears and wolves whose bones were found near the entrance of the cave.
"The origin of the structures is undeniably human. It really cannot be otherwise," he told The Associated Press.
The Neanderthals who built them must have had a "project" to go so deep into a cave where there was no natural light, said Jaubert. They probably explored underground as a group and cooperated to build the rings, using fire to illuminate the cave, he said. "These are exceptional tours, certainly for extraordinary reasons we do not yet know."
"Bruniquel cave (shows) that circular structures were a part of Neanderthals' material culture," said Roebroeks, who called the rings "an intriguing find, which underlines that a lot of Neanderthal material culture, including their 'architecture,' simply did not survive in the open."
I would really like to know what the HSN and AMH overlap at the site is, did they share a occupation window or or was HSN long gone by the time we showed up.
"This certainly was a collective work, and required at least a minimum of social organization," Jaubert told Popular Mechanics. "This task really was a project, which was likely discussed between several [Neanderthals]. Then it took organized work and the assignment of tasks. Some had to carry torches, some had to move and transport materials, some had place them in this specific configuration, and so on." The discovery paints a picture of Neanderthals as far more socially complex than the classic (although now discredited) Far Side image of a crude, dim-witted species.
he says, "it is curious to note that it was not Humans (Homo sapiens) who were the first to explore far into caves, or to draw animals."
originally posted by: zandra
a reply to: punkinworks10
Thank you for posting
I do believe Neanderthals were smarter than apes.
They had to be smarter because of more limited physical capabilities.
This still fits in the evolution theory of Darwin.
But there is nothing here that disproves the big bang of consciousness some 32000 years ago. This big bang makes us believe not Darwin but Russel was right.
Neanderthals were limited just like Homo sapiens was. Until something must have happened.
www.evawaseerst.be...
The most recent eruption at Yellowstone was 170,000 years ago, and the last lava flow was about 70,000 years ago.
originally posted by: Cancerwarrior
The last Yellowstone eruption was about 170,000 years ago.
I wonder if the reason they were living that deep in the cave was to escape volcanic ash? And if Yellowstone was blowing up around the time, maybe volcanic activity was much more prevalent. I know if it was me, a cave would probably be a good bet to keep from breathing in deadly volcanic ash.
originally posted by: zandra
But there is nothing here that disproves the big bang of consciousness some 32000 years ago. This big bang makes us believe not Darwin but Russel was right.
Neanderthals were limited just like Homo sapiens was. Until something must have happened.
www.evawaseerst.be...
originally posted by: Byrd
originally posted by: zandra
But there is nothing here that disproves the big bang of consciousness some 32000 years ago. This big bang makes us believe not Darwin but Russel was right.
Neanderthals were limited just like Homo sapiens was. Until something must have happened.
www.evawaseerst.be...
Actually, h. sapiens has been around for about a million years, and sophisticated behavior goes back farther than Chauvet.
Yellowstone is in America... the Neanderthals are in France. The impact on the air in France was very slight if any at all.