According to an article published in Quaternaryjournal, Neanderthal groups who lived in a cave near what is today Spain around 46,000 years ago collected and collected fossils.
The act of collecting objects, preserving them, and then displaying them is considered a leisure activity. If we go back in time to the beginning of the written word and knowledge fixation, specifically the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal (seventh century BCE) and his love of collecting clay tablets, then we can trace its roots. It is important to note that this does not reflect the true history of collecting, as we can find evidence from much older collectors.
As old as mankind, the curiosity of collecting stones and fossils in different shapes and colors as manuports is a long-standing human trait. Archaeologists know for decades that Neanderthals kept objects with no practical value.
Numerous European sites show that Neanderthals treasured items that caught their eye. These objects were sometimes modified into personal ornaments and even integrated with subsistence tools such as grinders or hand hammers.
In most cases, only one or two of these specimens have been found, but the Prado Vargas Cave, in Cornejo (Burgos), Spain, has produced more than any other Neanderthal camp or cave. Marta Navazo Ruiz, an archaeologist from the Universidad de Burgos and her team discovered 15 marine fossils in the Mousterian layer of the cave. These dates back to Upper Cretaceous epoch. They explained that all specimens belonged to the Mollusca phylum, with the exception of one which was from the Echinodermata phylum, which contains echinoderms. The Tylostomatidae family is the best-represented gastropod family, having six specimens. These fossils belong to the same group as the modern snails. They could grow up to 10 cm and have spirals on their shells. Their presence in the cavern could therefore be explained by collecting. The archaeologists explained that it was clear the Neanderthals’ selection of fossils and their transport into the cave had a symbolic meaning. This led them to suggest various hypotheses as to why they behaved in this way. The archaeologists noted that it is likely that children were involved in collecting the objects. Researchers have found that collecting objects in children is common.
Studies with humans show that this is the case.
According to experts, this is the behavior that begins in childhood between 3 and 6 years of age, when they first become aware of their own existence.
This behavior continues through puberty but less intensely.
The researchers conclude that it is likely that these Neanderthals collected the fossils intentionally, or accidentally. The researchers concluded that the Prado Vargas Neanderthals may have found the fossils intentionally or by chance, but it is clear they carried them to the cave repeatedly and with great care.