51,000-year-old Engraved Giant Deer Bone Discovered in the Harz Mountains

Artifacts found in the Einhornhöhle cave in northern Germany are the subject of a research project involving experts from Freie Universität Berlin and shine a light on the cognitive abilities of our Neanderthal ancestors. No 150/2021 from Aug 04, 2021 A discovery made by a research team in a cave in Lower Saxony, northern Germany, suggests that Neanderthals were not merely a primitive subspecies of archaic humans - a commonplace belief ever since their first fossil remains were found in the nineteenth century. The team from the State Service for Cultural Heritage Lower Saxony, in collaboration with the association Unicornu fossile e. V. (run by Dr. Ralf Nielbock), Freie Universität Berlin, and other institutions, have published an article in the scientific journal Nature Ecology and Evolution about the recent discovery in Einhornhöhle, a cave in the Harz Mountains. Their findings provide fascinating insights into the mental capabilities of Neanderthals, the genetically closest species to Homo sapiens. The Neanderthal's ability to make tools and weapons has long been proven - but were they also able to produce more sophisticated ornaments, jewelry, or even art? The research team led by Thomas Terberger from the State Service for Cultural Heritage Lower Saxony has been able to get to the bottom of this question. Within the framework of this project, which has been supported by the Ministry for Science and Culture of Lower Saxony since 2019, researchers have succeeded in yielding well-preserved archaeological layers from the Neanderthal era at the collapsed cave entrance.