Neanderthals Had Symbolic Thinking: What Researchers Found

Archaeologists have found evidence that Neanderthals could have had complex cultural traditions previously considered a hallmark of modern humans. In the Uchagizli Cave II in Turkey, shells were found that had no practical value, but both groups of people used them in the same way.

This is reported by SciTechDaily.

Uchagizli Cave II is located in the Levant region, which was an important migration route for people from Africa into Eurasia. It is here that the paths of Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, who already lived in the region, could have crossed.

An international team of researchers from Turkey, France, and Japan conducted excavations in the cave for five years. Scientists found that Neanderthals and modern humans used this site for more than 20 thousand years.

Both groups produced similar stone tools and adapted to the same environmental conditions. However, the shells drew the most attention from scientists.

These objects did not have nutritional value, so researchers suppose they could have been used as jewelry, symbols of status, or items of exchange. The very fact of intentional collection of such objects indicates the presence of certain symbolic behavior.

Earlier, the ability to create such cultural symbols was often linked primarily to Homo sapiens. But the finds from Uchagizli II indicate that Neanderthals could also have had their own traditions and transmitted cultural ideas.

The cave also yielded remains of modern humans aged approximately 50–60 thousand years. Scientists believe these finds may help better understand the early waves of Homo sapiens migrating beyond Africa.

The research changes our understanding of the relationships between humans and Neanderthals. Their coexistence may have involved not only competition for resources or genetic mixing but also exchange of knowledge, customs, and symbols.