A 46,000-year-old “museum” filled with spectacular treasures has been discovered in Spain, but the true shock lies in its creators.
According to Sci-News, an ancient version of modern natural history museums has been found in Spain, containing valuable paleontological treasures. The fossil hunters and collectors who created this collection were none other than the extinct Neanderthals.
Neanderthals are our “brother” species within the genus Homo, which includes Homo sapiens, our own species.
Prado Vargas Cave and the paleontological treasures collected by ancient Neanderthals – (Photo: Quaternary).
Previous findings at various sites have shown that Neanderthals had a relatively advanced level of evolution, possessing the ability to create rudimentary hearths, weave fibers, and make jewelry long before they went extinct over 30,000 years ago.
They also had larger brains than modern humans, although they are believed to be structurally and functionally inferior in many ways.
However, the recent discovery at Prado Vargas Cave in Burgos Province, Spain, indicates that this ancient human species may have lived lives not so different from our own ancestors.
For decades, archaeologists have uncovered evidence of non-utilitarian objects in Neanderthal households. However, collecting items signifies a much higher level of sophistication than merely creating decorative objects or jewelry.
A research team led by archaeologist Marta Navazo Ruiz from the University of Burgos (Spain) found a collection of 15 paleontological treasures created by these ancient humans.
These are remains of marine organisms from the Late Cretaceous period, which corresponds to the time when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth.
All specimens belong to the phylum Mollusca, except for one specimen that belongs to the phylum Echinodermata.
With the exception of one specimen, the other 14 show no signs of having been used as tools. This indicates that they were simply collected and displayed.
The authors suggest that the Neanderthals at Prado Vargas either intentionally or accidentally found these fossils, but it is clear that their transport to the cave was deliberate, systematic, and repeated, demonstrating their effort and interest.
The sediment layer where the fossils were found indicates that this collecting activity took place 46,000 years ago.
“Thus, the Neanderthals in this cave have become the earliest known fossil collectors in our evolutionary history” – the authors concluded in the scientific journal Quaternary.
