Archaeologists catalog preserved Neanderthal wooden tool molds found in Spain

Spanish archaeologists have cataloged 597 wooden remains left by Neanderthals at Abric Romaní, a rock shelter located in Capellades, west of Barcelona, Ars Technica reported. The findings were detailed in a recent study published in the journal Science Advances. [1]

Wood rots quickly, leaving modern researchers with limited information regarding Paleolithic woodwork despite wood being easier to process than stone, according to Ars Technica. At the Spanish site, mineral-rich water coated the Neanderthal wooden implements in a limestone-like crust. Dissolved rock precipitated around the tools before the organic material inside decayed. [1]

When the original wood eventually rotted away, it left behind hollow stone molds that faithfully retained the shape of the tools, Ars Technica reported. These natural casts allowed archaeologists to study early human woodworking techniques that are rarely preserved in the archaeological record. [1]

Neanderthals were an extinct group of archaic humans who lived across Europe as well as Western and Central Asia during the Middle to Late Pleistocene era [3]. They seem to have survived longer in certain regions of the Iberian Peninsula than in the rest of Europe, where their extinction was generally complete by 40,000 years ago [3]. [3]