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A new research published in the journal Scientific Reports clearly shows that Neanderthals fired by hitting a piece of pyrite, the yellow mineral sometimes known as the gold of lunatics, against the tools in flint called bifaces
The occasional use of stone tools like "strike-a-lights" was a techno-cultural trait shared by Neanderthals in France.
The use of fire seems to have been relatively common among Neanderthals in the Paleolithic.
However, the means by which our evolutionary cousins got their fire – either by collecting natural fire, or by producing it themselves with the help of tools –
" The general idea was that Neanderthals did not make their own fire, but depended on natural fires caused by lightning, "said Andrew Sorensen, archaeologist at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.
"They would have picked up burning sticks to light their own fires, that they burned all the time and that they could even carry with them when they were moving.
"This idea now seems to be incorrect, at least among some younger Neanderthal groups."
Sorensen and his colleagues found macroscopic and microscopic traces of the use of minerals on 50,000-year-old bifaces of Neanderthal sites in France.
"I recognized this type of wear during my early experimental work, these are the traces you get if you try to generate sparks by hitting a piece of flint against a piece of pyrite" said Sorensen.
An image of traces of mineral wear on a bifacial tool from Chez-Pinaud / Jonzac, France. The white lines delineate the area of traces of mineral wear comparable to pyrite. The arrow indicates the orientation of the badociated streaks. The A side star indicates a percussion zone containing numerous C-shaped percussion marks that open distally (a) in good agreement with the streaks (b). On the B side, the star surrounds a percussion zone containing several linear gouges (c) indicating that this surface was used for retouching / flinting. Image credit: Sorensen et al doi: 10.1038 / s41598-018-28342-9
With a combination of microscopic research and experiments, the researchers confirmed that the traces wear were specific to the manufacture of fire.
"You see percussion marks in the shape of a C letter. You also see parallel stripes, or streaks, along the length of the biface and the mineral varnish on the surface," said Sorensen. various experiments to eliminate other causes of this distinctive use. We used bifaces to grind pigments, sharpen other tools, and for other pounding and rubbing activities using various types of stone.
"Being able to make your own fire gives Neanderthals much more flexibility.
"It's a skill we suspected, but we did not know what they possessed.The fact that they managed to shoot down two rocks could produce a whole new substance (fire) completely. different from the original materials gives us a new insight into Neanderthal cognitive skills. "
" This shows that Neanderthals possessed technological capabilities similar to those of modern humans, even though they sometimes behaved differently "
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AC Sorensen et al . 2018. Neanderthal pyrotechnic technology deduced from microporous badysis. Scientific reports 8, article number 10065; doi: 10.1038 / s41598-018-28342-9
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