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Tytuł:
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Birch tar production does not prove Neanderthal behavioral complexity.
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Autorzy:
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Schmidt P; Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany; .; Competence Center Archaeometry-Baden-Wuerttemberg (CCA-BW), Applied Mineralogy, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany.
Blessing M; Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany.
Rageot M; Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany.
Iovita R; Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany.; The Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY 10003.
Pfleging J; The Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY 10003.; Agile and Dexterous Robotics Lab, Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.; Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
Nickel KG; Competence Center Archaeometry-Baden-Wuerttemberg (CCA-BW), Applied Mineralogy, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany.
Righetti L; Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.; New York University Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY 11201.
Tennie C; Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany.
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Źródło:
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A] 2019 Sep 03; Vol. 116 (36), pp. 17707-17711. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Aug 19.
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Typ publikacji:
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Journal Article
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Język:
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English
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Imprint Name(s):
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Original Publication: Washington, DC : National Academy of Sciences
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MeSH Terms:
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Archaeology*
Betula*
Behavior, Animal/*physiology
Cognition/*physiology
Neanderthals/*physiology
Animals
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References:
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Contributed Indexing:
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Keywords: Neanderthal birch tar; adhesives; cognitive complexity; early pyrotechnology; modern behaviors
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Entry Date(s):
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Date Created: 20190821 Date Completed: 20200324 Latest Revision: 20230314
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Update Code:
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20240105
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PubMed Central ID:
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PMC6731756
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DOI:
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10.1073/pnas.1911137116
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PMID:
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31427508
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Birch tar production by Neanderthals-used for hafting tools-has been interpreted as one of the earliest manifestations of modern cultural behavior. This is because birch tar production per se was assumed to require a cognitively demanding setup, in which birch bark is heated in anaerobic conditions, a setup whose inherent complexity was thought to require modern levels of cognition and cultural transmission. Here we demonstrate that recognizable amounts of birch tar were likely a relatively frequent byproduct of burning birch bark (a natural tinder) under common, i.e., aerobic, conditions. We show that when birch bark burns close to a vertical to subvertical hard surface, such as an adjacent stone, birch tar is naturally deposited and can be easily scraped off the surface. The burning of birch bark near suitable surfaces provides useable quantities of birch tar in a single work session (3 h; including birch bark procurement). Chemical analysis of the resulting tar showed typical markers present in archaeological tar. Mechanical tests verify the tar's suitability for hafting and for hafted tools use. Given that similarly sized stones as in our experiment are frequently found in archaeological contexts associated with Neanderthals, the cognitively undemanding connection between burning birch bark and the production of birch tar would have been readily discoverable multiple times. Thus, the presence of birch tar alone cannot indicate the presence of modern cognition and/or cultural behaviors in Neanderthals.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Comment in: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 Feb 14;120(7):e2300325120. (PMID: 36749729)