Middle Paleolithic complex technology and a Neandertal tar-backed tool from the Dutch North Sea.

ABSTRACT: We report the discovery of a 50,000-y-old birch tar-hafted flint tool found off the present-day coastline of The Netherlands. The production of adhesives and multicomponent tools is considered complex technology and has a prominent place in discussions about the evolution of human behavior. This find provides evidence on the technological capabilities of Neandertals and illuminates the currently debated conditions under which these technologies could be maintained. ¹⁴C-accelerator mass spectrometry dating and the geological provenance of the artifact firmly associates it with a host of Middle Paleolithic stone tools and a Neandertal fossil. The find was analyzed using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, X-ray micro-computed tomography, and optical light microscopy. T

SUBMITTER: Niekus MJLT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6825292 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature