A recent analysis of ochre fragments from several Neanderthal sites indicated that Neanderthals used ochre for drawing and marking surfaces.
It has been long-believed that Neanderthals used the iron-rich pigment to adorn their bodies, clothing, and surfaces. Many ancient civilizations, for example, used ochre to preserve animal hides and tan clothing. However, there has not been much definitive evidence around other uses of ochre by Neanderthals.
For this study, recently published in Science Advances, archaeologist Francesco d’Errico at the University of Bordeaux in France, and his colleagues, studied 16 pieces of ochre ranging up to 70,000 years old from Neanderthal sites in Crimea and Ukraine. Using electron microscopes and portable X-ray scanners, the team analyzed the composition and surface markings of the ochre.
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A piece of yellow ochre from the Micoquian Age (about 130,000 to 33,000 years ago) was one of the most significant findings. The piece appears to have been scraped into a kind of crayon. The tip had been repeatedly resharpened for reuse based on the analysis. Experts believe its shape was intentional for making marks, meaning that Neanderthals could have been drawing similarly to how we do now.
A second fragment featuring an engraved, polished surface with distinct fractures is also thought to have been used for mark-making, while a third had microscopic traces of repeated grinding and sharpening in keeping with the first piece.
“The deliberate shaping and reuse of crayons, the engraved motifs, and the evidence for curated tools collectively support the conclusion that at least some ochre materials were involved in symbolic activities,” the team wrote in the study.
These findings indicate that the Neanderthals were using mark-making tools. Creativity is considered a sign of advanced civilizations by scientists, meaning that Neanderthals may have been less primitive and more engaged in cultural practices, similar to those of other early humans, than previously known.
