Neanderthals used the bones of other humans to shape stone tools, treating them much like animal bones, according to new research. The findings challenge earlier theories that the practice held special symbolic or ritual significance.
The study, published in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, examined bone retouchers from the Tourtoirac rock shelter in France and the Goyet caves in Belgium. Retouchers are bone fragments used to strike or press against stone edges, helping shape and sharpen them. Unlike more elaborate bone implements, these pieces often needed little preparation before use.
The researchers, including Kelly-Ann Desjardins, compared retouchers made from Neanderthal bones with those made from other animals. They examined visible marks left by use and measured tiny surface features with a microscope to assess how the pieces had been handled. Their goal was to test whether the bones’ origins influenced how they were chosen and used.
Neanderthals’ use of human remains as tools shows few differences
The team reported “a limited number of significant differences” between the two groups. That suggests the human bones were not routinely selected or used in a distinct way, though the researchers did not rule out social meanings that physical wear alone cannot reveal.
Previous finds had already established that Neanderthal bones sometimes became working equipment. In 2016, a study published in Scientific Reports identified 99 Neanderthal remains at Goyet, dated to roughly 40,500 to 45,500 years ago. Four bones bore marks showing they had been used to modify stone tools.
That investigation also found cut marks and other evidence of butchery, supporting an interpretation of cannibalism at the Belgian site. But evidence of processing bodies does not, by itself, explain why particular bones were later used as retouchers.
Earlier cave finds revealed both butchery and bone toolmaking
An earlier study documented a Neanderthal skull fragment used to work stone at La Quina in France. Its size and wear were comparable to retouchers made from animal bones found nearby, giving researchers an early reason to question whether human bone received special treatment.
Another study, published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, showed through experiments that making bone retouchers can involve deliberate choices about how bones are broken. Such planning, however, does not establish that the material held symbolic importance.
The new analysis adds direct comparisons from two European sites to that debate. Its findings favor a practical explanation for how the bones were used, while leaving unresolved what Neanderthals thought about reusing the remains of the dead.
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