According to one, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France—Nanderstalls made ocher tools for drawing and marking surfaces. Phys.org Francisco D’Errico of the University of Bordeaux and his colleagues analyzed the texture and surface markings on 16 fragments unearthed at Neanderthal sites in the Crimea and Ukraine with a scanning electron microscope and portable X-ray scanners. The study determined that one of the pieces of the Yellow Lion was shaped into a crayon-like shape, and its tip was repeatedly repositioned and reused. Evidence of polishing, engraving, grinding and sharpening was found on one and two fragments of the trace. The researchers concluded that this deliberate creation and reuse of writing tools is evidence of symbolic thinking among Neanderthals, an ability researchers once attributed to modern humans. Read the original scholarly article about this research Science advances. To read about other evidence of Neanderthals’ symbolic behavior, go to “Symbolic Neandertals”.
The post-Nander stalls may have had tools made for drawings that were first published in archaeological magazines.
