Skip to content

Green Opinions

Neander Meanderings

by Dave Armstrong 09 Feb 2012
Neander Meanderings

The Neanderthals are claimed to have produced some of the great cave art using red ochre and other pigments; Courtesy of Shutterstock

When our closest dead relatives, assembled, about 60 thousand years ago, iron and manganese oxides were part of the procedures they might have used in symbolic practices. In Africa there have been more recent uses by modern humans. Now, Dutch and Spanish researchers have tried to work out if there is any significance in small haematite deposits in early Neanderthal sites. The

Neanderthal is classed as a full species, Homo neanderthalensis, named after the Neander valley in Germany where they were first described (as opposed to our own species, Homo sapiens).

In the late Middle Pleistocene, haematite (iron oxide) was carried at least twenty km by Neanderthals. Whether used as red ochre for cave painting and burials as their descendants did 40 kya (thousand years ago), or for other ceremonial or even everyday use, Wil Roebroeks of Leiden University et al tried to discover. Their full research paper, 'Use of red ochre by early Neanderthals' was published in last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) journal.

They know of food preservation, insect repellent and tanning of animal hide as possibilities from our own species' ethnographic records. Manganese dioxide is another common pigment, found in very large quantities in France, while Spain, Czech Republic and France were supposed to have haematite in Neanderthal sites before some researchers challenged the ID and dating. Little connection can then be made with any pigment use apart from haematite in the Netherlands.

Rock painting examples, from Tassili N'Ajjer

Rock painting examples, from Tassili N'Ajjer, Algeria; Credit: Shutterstock

From 250 thousand years ago, some red mineral has been recorded near Maastricht in the Netherlands, near some flint and bone scatters in an earlier Pleistocene river deposit of loess and gravel. The site has been excavated since 1981, producing bright red "concentrates" in the pale coloured sediment.

Binocular microscope examination clarified that no haematite crystals remained in the red ochre, indicating they had been ground or otherwise made smaller.

Hominin(either Neanderthal or modern human) activity is theorised to have caused the iron oxide to enter the sediment from a liquid, from which blobs have become embedded. Even a reproduction of the presumed spillage caused the same effect of red ochre embedding in the sediment, viewed macroscopically and microscopically.

Conclusions are based on very few tools found at the sites (one only, found unused). Fires were used there, but evidence of grinding sandstones is limited to a different era at Rheindahlen in Germany. African Middle Stone Age sites yield plenty of red ochre from rock shelters, which is contemporary with these Maastricht finds. Modern humans produced the deposits however. This leaves no need to propose symbolism in this mineral use. All other uses are possible.

Significance really lies in such an early use (250-200 kha) of small amounts of red ochre, possibly for the same uses as nearby modern humans. The excitement rises as more cave paintings, evidence of body decoration, tool use by both groups and even "cross-pollination" appears between the two species - or is it really subspecies!


Trending Eco-Friendly Clothing

Love My Planet Women's Relaxed Fit Hoodie
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Love My Planet Women's Relaxed Fit Hoodie
Love My Planet women's eco-friendly relaxed fit hoodieSize Guide Centimeters 8 10 12 14 16 18 Bust 84 88 92 97 103 108 Waist 66 70 75 80 85 91 Hips 91 95 99 104 109 116 Bust: Measure around the fullest part of...
£38.00
£38.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Penguins Hate Push-Ups Men's Pullover Hoodie
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Penguins Hate Push-Ups Men's Pullover Hoodie
Penguins Hate Push-Ups men's eco-friendly pullover HoodieSize Guide Centimeters XS S M L XL XXL Height 171 175 179 183 189 195 Chest 86 93 99 104 116 129 Waist 71 76 81 89 99 112 Chest: Measure all round your chest just below...
£38.00
£38.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Lightning Bolt Kids Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Notify me
Lightning Bolt Kids Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Lightning Bolt kids eco-friendly long sleeve t-shirtSize Guide Centimeters 3-4yrs 5-6yrs 7-8yrs 9-10yrs 11-12yrs Height 98 112 125 136 147 Chest 60 66 70 75 84 Chest: Measure all around your chest just below your armpits. Height: Your natural height If you fall between...
£18.00
£18.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Notify me
Union Jack Tote Bag
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Union Jack Tote Bag
Union Jack eco-friendly colour tote bagProduct Specification Organic Cotton Tote Bag. Twill Weave (170gsm). 37 x 42 cm (7cm gusset.) Made in India / Designed on the Isle of Wight. Wash Cool, Hang Dry.
£16.00
£16.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Prev Post
Next Post

Eco-Friendly Shop

Women's Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothing for Women Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable women’s clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies, vests, sweaters, shorts, and...
Shop Now

Men's Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothing for Men Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable men’s clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies, vests, sweaters, shorts, and...
Shop Now

Kids Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothes for Kids Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable kids clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies and jumpers. Our garments...
Shop Now
Someone recently bought a
[time] ago, from [location]

Thanks for subscribing!

This email has been registered!

Shop the look

Choose Options

Earth Times
Sign up for exclusive updates, new arrivals & insider only discounts

Recently Viewed

Edit Option
Back In Stock Notification
this is just a warning
Login
Shopping Cart
0 items

Before you leave...

Take 20% off your first order

20% off

Enter the code below at checkout to get 20% off your first order

CODESALE20

Continue Shopping