New study of ancient horned animal skull discovered in Spain’s Des Cubierta cave deepens the mystery of when and why it was discovered neanderthal man Please put it there.

Multiple lines of evidence suggest that the skulls were not all placed there at the same time, but were likely brought into the narrow gallery repeatedly over a long period of time during the Late Middle Paleolithic. between the surroundings 70,000 years ago and 50,000 years ago.

Excavation of the cave began in 2009, and one of the rock formations caught the attention of archaeologists. Mousterian Stone tools, primarily a culture associated with European Neanderthals.

But it was more than just a tool. There was also an assemblage of unusual animal remains, consisting overwhelmingly of skulls.

Researchers cataloged the upper skulls of at least 35 animals, including 28 cows, five deer, and two rhinos. Most of the remaining skeleton is absent, including jaw bones, limbs, and even cheekbones.

The deliberate accumulation of animal skulls is fairly rare in the archaeological record. A team led by archaeologist Lucía Villaescuza from the University of Alcalá in Spain wanted to see if the site itself could yield any clues about how these skulls might have been placed.

They studied multiple lines of evidence, including the spatial distribution of geological debris and archaeological artifacts within the deposits. Reassembly of fragmented bones. and the level of bone preservation.

Their results showed that the rockfall initially introduced conical debris into the mine shaft. After this rockfall, Neanderthals began to bring animal skulls and place them in caves at another stage of their activity.

The duration of this activity is unknown, but the separation between deposits makes it clear that this was not a one-time skull collection.

Related: Bones of a child buried 40,000 years ago reveal a long-standing Neanderthal mystery

Like so many ancient humans, Neanderthal We will probably never know why Des Cubierta’s Neanderthals had a repeating tradition of placing skulls in caves, but the repeating pattern suggests a structured practice that offers a glimpse into the possible symbolic life of our ancient relatives.

“The integration of geological, spatial, and taphonomic data shows that the accumulation of large herbivore skulls is not a single depositional event, but rather the result of repeated episodes embedded within a long-term process of gallery use.” the researchers write.

“This sustained and repeated behavior highlights the structured and communicative nature of this practice and adds an important element to the broader debate about the complexity and symbolic potential of Neanderthal cultural expression.”

The survey results are archeology and anthropology.