A cave on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast shows signs that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens may have shared tools and cultural practices. The findings come from Üçağızlı II cave, where both species occupied the site at different times but left behind remarkably similar artefacts.
Archaeologists led by Naoki Morimoto at Kyoto University conducted the first full dig at the site in 2020. Analysis of teeth and jaw remains showed Neanderthals lived there from 77,000 to 59,000 years ago, followed by Homo sapiens from 59,000 to 47,000 years ago.
Nearly 20,000 stone artefacts were recovered. The stone-tool technology stayed consistent across both periods, as did the collection of small sea snail shells known as Columbella rustica. Nearly 30 examples appeared in layers from both species, some modified in ways that suggest decorative use.
Morimoto noted that the consistency is difficult to explain without some form of contact. “What we propose is that a model involving regional contact, cultural exchange or overlapping occupational territories offers a plausible explanation for the archaeological evidence,” he said. Experts including John Gowlett and Chris Stringer described the results as adding new pieces to the long-standing puzzle of interactions between the two hominin groups.