State broadcasters in Poland have announced the discovery of a Neanderthal workshop 65 miles (105 kilometers) from Warsaw, where archeologists say the ancient hominin would have repaired butchering tools.
This news follows the discovery of hundreds of remains, including flint and animal bones from mammoths, rhinos, and horses, some of which appear to have been transported from afar.
Previous estimates have dated the site to a period between 80,000 years and 65,000 years ago, but more recent estimates suggest it was inhabited sometime between 64,000 years and 75,000 years ago. To add some confusion, it appears that the remains have been moved as a result of river erosion, meaning some objects may be even older.
Studying How Neanderthals Lived
Zwoleń — a town in the Masovian region — has been a site of archeological intrigue for decades, with excavations starting in the 1980s. The site is particularly fascinating because it is thought to be the northernmost Neanderthal site in the country, with the majority located further south in areas that were not covered in ice at that time.
Zwoleń is also unusual because it contains a bounty of organic remains — items rarely preserved in open sites like these and most commonly found in caves. The abundance of organic material offers archeologists the opportunity to study how Neanderthals lived.
In addition to animal bones, archaeologists have unearthed tools, such as flint knives and scrapers, as well as flakes thought to have been produced during the process of making and repairing the tools. The presence of tools made from chocolate flint — a material not typically found in the area — shows Neanderthals would have had to walk more than 18 miles (30 kilometers) to collect the rock.
Read More: Neanderthals Also Had Superior Toolmaking Abilities, Not Just Humans
Our Closest Human Relative
The short and stocky Neanderthal is one of our closest known relatives. Remains have been found across Europe and parts of Western and Central Asia, where it appears some came into contact with early humans — approximately 2 to 3 percent of the DNA in non-African people has been inherited from our now-extinct human relative.
Far from being dim-witted cavemen (and women), Neanderthal society was far more complex than originally thought. Indeed, the artifacts at Zwoleń are not the only evidence to suggest that Neanderthals were skilled hunters. Research published in Quaternary Science Reviews found that these early humans may have ambushed herds of animals before carefully selecting the carcasses they would later process and consume.
As archaeologists from the State Archaeological Museum, the University of Warsaw, and the University of Wroclaw continue to investigate the site at Zwoleń, more revelations about the lives and hunting practices of Neanderthals may soon come to light.
Read More: Ancient Weapons Tell a New Hunting Story for Ancestors of Neanderthal and Early Man
Article sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
- Polskie Radio. Neanderthal tool workshop uncovered in central Poland
- Science in Poland. Archaeologists return to Zwoleń to examine Neanderthal remains
- Nature. Earliest modern human genomes constrain timing of Neanderthal admixture
- Quaternary Science Reviews. Shoot first, ask questions later: Interpretative narratives of Neanderthal hunting
