Wooden tools, weapons, building materials, and domestic items challenge the assumption that Neanderthals' technology relied mainly on stone. Researchers completed a systematic review covering almost 600 wooden objects.
These wooden finds date between 40,000 and 62,000 years ago. Archaeologists collected these finds at Abric Romaní, near Barcelona, starting in the 1980s.
The rock preserving the imprints is identified as travertine. Only 13 items qualified as having been used or manufactured by Neanderthals.
Maria Gema Chacón, a researcher, noted the complexity of Neanderthal woodworking and their grasp of wood properties, expressing surprise. Producing pointed weapons and long, straight shafts required careful planning, skill, and selection of raw materials, according to Maria Gema Chacón.
Maria Gema Chacón further stated that the technological behaviours seen at Abric Romaní are comparable to those documented for Homo sapiens. Other recovered items included timber trays and a mysterious wooden tripod.
Palmira Saladié described a club-like object possessing a distinct narrow handle and an enlarged, asymmetrical head. The configuration of this club-like object, Palmira Saladié noted, shows no convincing parallel in the prehistoric record.
Josep Vallverdú asserted that wood constituted a normal and important element of Neanderthals' daily existence. Evidence of woodworking, Josep Vallverdú added, links to hunting, domestic chores, containers, and the arrangement of living areas.
Chris Stringer pointed out that the archaeological record for wooden artefacts is severely limited by the poor preservation of organic materials. Mariana Nabais suggested that wood, plant fibres, hides, bone, and other organic materials must have been central to daily life.
Naoki Morimoto concluded that preserved organic materials reveal a 'hidden' aspect of Neanderthals.
