A 60‑kyr‑old hyena bone from Les Pradelles (Neanderthal) bears deliberate markings, hinting at counting and proto‑writing abilities long before Homo sapiens.
Neanderthal 60,000-year-old hyena bone suggests counting ability
FranceExcavationBreakthrough
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Key facts
- Hyena bone from Les Pradelles site in France is approximately 60,000 years old
- Attributed to Neanderthals, making it significant for understanding Neanderthal cognitive abilities
- Has too few markings for some forms of analysis but scores highly in others
- Looks promising as proto-writing despite being from a Neanderthal context
- Shows that Neanderthal society possibly developed the ability to count
- Authors note counting isn't inherently human - some cultures lack number words
Sources
link.springer.com
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