Archaeologists have discovered a 65,000-year-old “Neanderthal Factory”. According to a new study published in November by the journal Quaternary Science Reviews, Neanderthals may have developed a kind of oven to produce glue.Sticky tools were derived from tar and would have helped Neanderthals make weapons and other tools.
This plant has existed for 20,000 years before modern humans (Homo sapiens) even set foot in the area.
Through well-designed techniques, Neanderthals were also able to control fire and manage the temperature of the fire to create their art.
The researchers built and measured replicas of the fire, and after about four hours of work, they had enough resin to bond two spears to the spear (Image credit: Juan Ochando et al. Quaternary Science Review; CC-by-4.0) Ancient Neanderthal glue It was already known to archaeologists that Neanderthals made glue using materials such as resin, as well as the shell itself and other materials linked to ocher (a red mineral often used in cave art).
This glue is used to connect stones or joints to wooden handles.
Recent discoveries, however, are fascinating because they show that even in ancient times, Neanderthals were highly skilled and had advanced engineering and industrialization.
Neanderthal skin appears simple at first glance, but researchers say that when analyzed in detail, it is a complete work of engineering.
The shape around the well is round, about 22 centimeters wide and 3.5 centimeters high.
“The structure revealed an unknown way in which Neanderthals wielded and used fire,” the researchers wrote in the study. The vertical wall was deliberately cut, in full shape, and is accompanied by two excavated passages.
Each of these channels was 2.5 inches long and extended north and south toward the well.
During the burning, archaeologists discovered traces of charcoal and partially burned cistus (a plant with large, white flowers).
In addition, resin crystal trees and thin branches of local bushes were also seen.
For the analysis, archaeologists collected samples from the walls and floor of the furnace and used gas chromatography mass spectrometry – a technique that identifies certain chemicals in the form of materials.
In addition to the components mentioned above, there are also traces of urea and zinc from guano (from birds or shells), combustion-related chemicals, and wax residues from plant leaves.
Construction of the Neanderthal glue factory To make these “glue factories,” researchers suggest that Neanderthals may have filled a well with rockrose leaves, which, when heated, produced a dark, brown color.
To get the “glue” just right, Neanderthals covered the well with a line of damp sand and earth that may have been mixed with guano (material from the accumulation of dirt and birds and dead leaves), something that would help seal the well. inside the pit and control the amount of oxygen that enters the furnace.
Then, a small fire was made above the well with thin branches, so that the rockrose below could be heated.
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The light branches, for example, were not chosen “accidentally”. This is because the thin branches allow you to better control the heat of the fire.
The temperature also had to be controlled, as the rockrose leaves had to be heated to 150 degrees Celsius to create a solid residue – otherwise the glue would burn instead of the water.