Spanish researchers uncovered 597 wooden Neanderthal tools preserved as hollow molds in mineral crusts, revealing everyday woodworking over 20,000 years.
Spanish archaeologists found 597 wooden Neanderthal items preserved as hollow molds in mineral crusts at Abric Romaní, near Barcelona. Dated between 62,000 and 40,000 years ago, the finds include spears, digging sticks, bark trays, shelter pieces, and a club, suggesting wood-use was a regular part of Neanderthal life, not just hunting gear.
The preservation method is unusual: mineral-rich water created crusts that captured the exact shapes of the original tools. This allows researchers to study how Neanderthals might have gripped, used, and carried wooden implements.
What it means for today: it reshapes our view of Neanderthals as adaptable builders and makers who used available resources to meet everyday needs. Expect more analysis as researchers categorize the tools and compare with other sites.
Spanish archaeologists have uncovered evidence that Neanderthals routinely worked with wood, not just stone. At Abric Romaní, near Capellades west of Barcelona, wooden tools were preserved in a mineral crust so thin that it created hollow molds of the original shapes. In a new study published in Science Advances, researchers cataloged 597 wooden remnants from Neanderthal living areas, dating from about 62,000 to 40,000 years ago. The collection includes spears, digging sticks, bark trays, parts of shelters, and a club that hadn’t been seen before, painting a picture of a people who used wood as part of everyday life, not only for weapons.
Wood is normally the stuff of perishable remains, which is why sciences that study early humans often hinge on stone or bone. Here, mineral-rich water helped preserve wooden items by forming a crust that later dissolved away, leaving behind precise molds of the original objects. That means researchers could study the exact shapes and presumed uses of these tools long after the wood itself rotted away.
“We have a sample of wooden tools for different subsistence activities, not only hunting,” said M. Gema Chacón, an archaeologist with IPHES-CERCA, who co-authored the study. The repeated presence of woodworking in multiple layers over approximately 20,000 years suggests it was a regular practice, not a one-off curiosity.
The discovery challenges a long-standing stereotype that Neanderthals were primarily hunters who shared little with modern humans beyond tool use. Instead, the mix of wooden implements implies a broader set of daily activities, including shelter-building, food processing, and perhaps even crafts. While stone tools dominate most archaeological records, these wooden remains show Neanderthals used available resources to solve everyday problems just as people do today.
Wood would have offered advantages for tasks where stone or bone fell short, such as shaping, digging, or building lightweight structures. The molds capture form and size with surprising detail, enabling researchers to infer handle designs, grip patterns, and potential ergonomic considerations. The evidence points to a toolkit that balanced hunting gear with items supporting living spaces and daily routines.
These finds remind us that early humans, Neanderthals included, were adaptable, using the resources around them to meet practical needs. For modern readers, the takeaway isn’t nostalgia for the Stone Age; it’s a reminder that humans have always relied on a mix of tools to build, cook, and survive. It also underscores how fragile the past is: wood decays, but clever preservation methods can rescue a glimpse into that life long ago.
Researchers will continue cataloging the wooden collection to map out a timeline of woodworking techniques and to compare Spanish finds with Neanderthal sites elsewhere. The study highlights how even ordinary materials, when preserved in the right conditions, can reshape our understanding of prehistoric daily life.
Researchers found 597 wooden Neanderthal artifacts preserved as hollow molds, revealing routine woodworking between 62,000 and 40,000 years ago.
It suggests Neanderthals engaged in a wider set of daily activities beyond hunting, including shelter and tool-making with wood.
If you’re curious, you can look for updates from the team or related Science Advances reports to see how they categorize the different wooden items and what that says about Neanderthal life.
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