320,000 Years Ago Cavemen Were Already Hunting Bears For Skins
Reconstruction of a European cave bear (Ursus spelaeus)
In a new paper based on prehistoric findings, the authors suggest that our ancestors were able to skin cave bears back in the Lower Paleolithic.A team of scholars led by archaeozoologist Ivo Verheijen of the University of Tübingen in Germany has analyzed a cave bear’s metatarsal and phalanx toe, suggesting that ancient people made simple clothing from bear skins as early as 320,000 years ago.Scientists examined cut marks on the metatarsal and phalangeal bones of cave bears found at two German sites in Schöningen, and believed to be about 320,000 years old.
"Cut marks on bones are often interpreted in archaeology as an indication of the utilization of meat," Verheijen said. "But there is hardly any meat to be recovered from hand and foot bones. In this case, we can attribute such fine and precise cut marks to the careful stripping of the skin."
Modern data shows that a bear must have been skinned within one hour, or a day at most, after its death. Therefore, scientists believe that ancient people could not have taken the animal’s pelt after a natural death.Moreover, already existing data from other cuts found on other remains support the skinning hypothesis.It is possible that bear skins allowed ancient people to better cope with harsh climatic conditions, because they could be used to make simple clothing or to arrange a sleeping place. Finally, the researchers also noted that tools suitable for processing pelts were found at the Schöningen sites, and that tanning agents were also available. However, the latter does not mean that people knew how to use them more than 300,000 years ago.