University Of Tübingen And Senckenberg Center Examine Traces On Bones From The Schöningen

Humans have used bear skins to protect themselves from cold weather for at least 300,000 years. This is suggested by traces of cuts on the metatarsal and finger bones of a cave bear, which were discovered at the Paleolithic site in Schöningen, Lower Saxony. This is one of the oldest documents of this kind worldwide. The research work was carried out by an archaeological team from the University of Tübingen and the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (SHEP) in Tübingen together with a colleague from the University of Leiden. The study was published in the Journal of Human Evolution.

“In archeology, cut marks on bones are often interpreted as an indication of the use of meat,” explains the Tübingen researcher Ivo Verheijen. “But there is hardly any flesh to be gained from the bones of hands and feet. In this case, we can trace such fine and precise cut marks back to the careful removal of the fur.” A bear’s winter fur consists of both long outer hair, which forms an airy protective layer, and short, dense hair, which is particularly good at insulating. Bears, including the extinct cave bears, needed highly insulating fur for hibernation. “These newly discovered cut marks are an indication that people in northern Europe were able to survive in winter around 300,000 years ago thanks to warm bearskins,” says the researcher,

Strong indication for the hunt
But how were the bearskins procured? “The Schöningen site plays a decisive role in the discussion about the origin of hunting, because the world’s oldest spears were discovered here,” Ivo Verheijen continues. Did the people of that time also hunt bears? “There is relevant evidence for this,” says the researcher. “If only adult animals are found at an archaeological site, this is usually taken as an indication of a hunt – and in Schöningen all bones and teeth found from bears belonged to adult individuals.” In addition, a bear skin must be removed shortly after the animal’s death otherwise the hair will be lost and the fur will become unusable. “The animal was skinned, it couldn’t have been dead long at that point,” explains Verheijen.

The find opens up a new perspective, says Tübingen professor Nicholas Conard, who heads the Schöningen research project. The location of the cut marks indicates that the skins of the cave bears were also used. “So animals were not only used for food, but their skins were also essential for surviving in the cold,” says Conard. In the broadest sense, the supply of bearskins can be seen as one of the oldest active adaptations of early humans to the northern climate.

The archaeological excavation at the Paleolithic sites in Schöningen and the scientific investigation are a long-term project of the University of Tübingen in cooperation with the Senckenberg Society for Natural Research and the Lower Saxony State Office for Monument Preservation. The project is financed by the Lower Saxony Ministry for Science and Culture in Hanover.