from artnet

Archaeologists Just Discovered That Neanderthals Made String 50,000 Years Ago, Suggesting They Were Waaay Smarter Than We Thought

The researchers say that Neanderthals “really weren’t very different from us.”

Modern cordage made of grass fibers. Photo courtesy of Bruce Hardy.
Modern cordage made of grass fibers. Photo courtesy of Bruce Hardy.

Archaeologists have unearthed more evidence that Neanderthals were smarter than we previously believed.

According to newly found materials, our human brethren were making the world’s first string 50,000 years ago. The oldest-known cord fragments prior to this discovery were found in Israel, and were made some 19,000 years ago.

The find comes from an archaeological site called Abri du Maras in southeastern France, where Neanderthals lived between 90,000 and 42,000 years ago.

“The idea that Neanderthals were cognitively inferior to modern humans is becoming increasingly untenable,” researchers say in an article documenting their finds published in Scientific Reports.

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