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Cave finds hint at shared culture between humans and Neanderthals
CNN • • general
Key Points:
- Excavations in Üçağızlı II cave, Turkey, reveal that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens not only coexisted but likely shared cultural traditions such as making similar Mousterian tools and collecting the same types of shells between 77,000 and 47,000 years ago.
- Fossils and artifacts indicate both species hunted similar animals and transported ornamental Columbella rustica shells, suggesting cultural exchange or parallel behaviors rather than mere coexistence.
- The findings challenge the notion that Homo sapiens simply replaced Neanderthals with superior culture, showing instead a deeply rooted local Mousterian tradition shared by both groups over millennia.
- This site contrasts with others like Grotte Mandrin in France, where Homo sapiens used distinctly different and more advanced tools, highlighting a complex picture of multiple Homo sapiens populations and cultural trajectories during human expansion out of Africa.
- Researchers emphasize the need for more archaeological evidence to determine if such cultural sharing was unique to this region or widespread, suggesting culture was influenced by local traditions beyond biological differences.
