A Cave in France Changes What We Thought We Knew About Neanderthals

The stone rings found inside the French cave were probably built by the Neanderthals 176,500 years ago. The study says that the structures are the oldest known human constructions, possibly altering the way we think about our ancestors.

The team led by archaeologist Jacques Jaubert of the University of Bordeaux, using advanced dating techniques, noted that the stalagmites used in the stone ring construction had to be broken off the ground about 176,500 years ago.

Dating of the structures – if substantiated – would push back the first known cave exploration by members of the human family for tens of thousands of years. It would also change the widely held view that ancient cousins of humans were incapable of complex behaviour.

Earlier research had suggested the structures pre-dated the arrival of modern humans in Europe around 45,000 years ago and thus the idea that Neanderthals could have made them didn’t fit and was largely disregarded. Read the free story.