These Stone Artifacts Found In Caves Reveal That Our Early Ancestors Were Capable Of Symbolic Behavior
A set of stone artifacts engraved with geometric patterns suggests evidence of advanced cognitive and symbolic behavior among prehistoric humans.
The artifacts were found in the Manot, Qafzeh, Amud, and Quneitra caves in the Levant. The objects from the Amud Cave did not contain any clear patterns, but they showed signs of consistent usage.
The findings shed new light on the development of abstract thinking and the cultural complexity of Paleolithic hominins.
The Paleolithic era, also known as the Old Stone Age, was the earliest and longest phase of human prehistory. It lasted from about 2.6 million years ago to roughly 12,000 years ago.
Until now, the marks on the stone artifacts were believed to have been created through natural wear and tear or tool use.
Generally, there has been skepticism about the presence of abstract and symbolic thought in early hominins, as symbolic behavior like art and expression is considered to have only emerged in our own species fairly recently.
But in the past few decades, a growing amount of evidence has indicated that symbolic and abstract thought was not unique to modern humans.
A new study has revealed that the prehistoric engravings were made intentionally before the global colonization of modern humans.
A team of researchers used advanced 3D surface analysis to examine the geometry and patterns of the cut marks to distinguish deliberate engravings from functional wear.
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They found that the artifacts from Manot, Qafzeh, and Quneitra featured deliberate engravings, indicating symbolic intent.
Meanwhile, the incisions on artifacts from the Amud Cave were consistent with use as tools for wearing down, smoothing, or polishing. These caves are significant prehistoric archaeological sites in the Levant region.
“Abstract thinking is a cornerstone of human cognitive evolution. The deliberate engravings found on these artifacts highlight the capacity for symbolic expression and suggest a society with advanced conceptual abilities,” said Dr. Mae Goder-Goldberger, the lead author of the study from Hebrew University.
“The methodology we employed not only highlights the intentional nature of these engravings but also provides, for the first time, a comparative framework for studying similar artifacts, enriching our understanding of Middle Paleolithic societies,” said Dr. Joāo Marreiros, another leader of the study.
The Middle Paleolithic spanned from roughly 250,000 to 45,000 years ago. Although the engraved artifacts from Qafzeh, Quneitra, and Manot appear as isolated cases, the similarities in the incisions and their pattern organization suggest intentional and planned actions.
These discoveries enhance our knowledge of symbolic behavior and provide valuable perspectives on the cognitive and cultural evolution of early hominins.
Overall, the study represents an important advancement in exploring symbolic and abstract thought among our ancestors.
The full research was published in the academic journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences.
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