Neanderthals and early modern humans shared cave culture

A new study suggests Neanderthals and early modern humans may have shared a common culture, including symbolic preferences, for thousands of years in a cave in southern Türkiye. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates a deeper level of interaction than previously understood.

The evidence comes from Üçağızlı II Cave on Türkiye's Mediterranean coast, a key location along the ancient Levantine corridor used by humans migrating from Africa and Neanderthals moving from Europe. An international team of researchers conducted a meticulous, five-year excavation of the site.

They determined that Neanderthals occupied the cave from approximately 77,000 to 59,000 years ago. After that period, Homo sapiens lived there until around 47,000 years ago. Despite the sequential occupation, the archaeological layers revealed a striking continuity in material culture between the two groups.

The stone tools, mostly scrapers, showed remarkable consistency across both periods. Bones from the same animals-deer, goat, and wild boar-indicated shared hunting strategies and diets. The most compelling evidence, however, involved non-utilitarian objects....