Palaeontology

'Last' Neanderthal necklace unearthed in Spain

By T.K. Randall
November 3, 2019 ·  1 comment

The find dates back to the final days of the Neanderthals. Image Credit: CC BY 2.0 Paul Hudson / Flickr Discovered within Cova Foradada - a well known Neanderthal cave in Europe's Iberian Peninsula - the necklace was made from the talons of a Spanish Imperial Eagle.

Researchers believe that the eagles were hunted purely to be turned into decorative items.

"Neanderthals used eagle talons as symbolic elements, probably as necklace pendants, from the beginnings of the mid Palaeolithic," said research team leader Antonio Rodriguez-Hidalgo.What makes this particular find so interesting is that it dates back to a time when the last group of Neanderthals in Europe began interacting with modern humans.

The necklace may have even been a cultural exchange between these two peoples.

Sadly, the Neanderthals went extinct not long afterwards.

Last of its kind: Bird bone 'part of Neanderthal necklace' https://t.co/PqNNkWn9wg pic.twitter.com/8slhYoPun2

— TIPS TECHNOLOGY (@NewsTunisia5) 2 November 2019

Source: IFL Science | Comments (1)

Tags: Neanderthals