Exploring Artifacts of Cultural Exchange Between Neanderthals and Early Humans

Around 59,000 years ago, Homo sapiens occupied a cave on the Mediterranean coast of Türkiye, previously home to Neanderthals. Excavated tools and jewelry indicate these ancient humans potentially shared a material culture.

The Üçağızlı II Cave, measuring 56 square meters, is comparable to a typical studio apartment.

Naoki Morimoto, a professor at Kyoto University in Japan, led a comprehensive archaeological excavation at this site in 2020. Findings, including teeth and jaw remains, show that Neanderthals lived in the cave from 77,000 to 59,000 years ago, alongside Homo sapiens from 59,000 to 47,000 years ago.

In total, nearly 20,000 stone artifacts were discovered, revealing consistent stone tool technology between both hominins throughout the habitation period, suggesting they coexisted for a time.

Morimoto states, “We cannot conclusively prove temporal or physical overlap between the two human species, but this remains the central hypothesis we are investigating.”

Morimoto notes that the basic toolkit remained unchanged across all human habitation levels in the cave. Interestingly, both Neanderthals and Homo sapiens collected shells that appeared to lack utilitarian purposes, indicating a shared cultural value.

Nearly 30 beautiful Columbella rustica snail shells were found in all sediment layers, some with tips broken or holes formed, suggesting decorative use. Most, however, were kept intact, hinting at an intrinsic value to both species.

While other shell types were discovered in the cave, Columbella rustica dominated the findings, indicating both groups had a distinct cultural appreciation and fascination for this shell, as Morimoto suggests.

The “remarkable consistency” in stone tool technology and shell collection challenges the notion of independent cultural development. Morimoto states that while no direct evidence of a cooperative relationship exists, the research leans toward models including regional interactions, cultural exchanges, or overlapping habitats.

According to John Goulet from the University of Liverpool, understanding the relationship between Neanderthals and modern humans has grown significantly. “For over 200,000 years, there was an evolving boundary between modern humans from the south and Neanderthals from the north,” he explains.

“They likely recognized each other regularly, suggesting a strong ‘us and them’ distinction. However, this did not mean separate material cultures or hunting practices,” Goulet adds. “It appears both species shared an interest in shellfish, potentially extending back further in time than currently known.”

Evidence of shared culture between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens has also emerged from other ancient sites in the Levant. According to Chris Stringer from the Natural History Museum in London, recent findings suggest interbreeding might have occurred approximately 100,000 years ago.

Stringer notes, “While the sample from Uchazılı is too limited to demonstrate population fluctuations, interbreeding at later periods remains a possibility.”