Ancient Whale Bone Tools: Stone Age Technology & Diet

Of 37 whale bone artifacts that produced radiocarbon days, several varied from 17,500 to 16,000 years old, a duration when local sell these applies peaked, the researchers think. Few whale bone devices in their example dated to behind 16,000 years back.

Whale Species Identification

His group assessed species-specific protein series removed from 83 bone executes recovered at 26 sites and 90 bone fragments discovered at a coastal cave. Results fixed 71 devices and 60 pieces as having actually come from marine varieties that included sperm whales, fin whales, blue whales, gray whales and either best whales or bowhead whales. Healthy protein information can not identify in between the last two whale varieties.

His team examined species-specific healthy protein sequences drawn out from 83 bone executes recouped at 26 sites and 90 bone pieces found at a seaside cave. Outcomes pegged 71 tools and 60 fragments as having come from marine species that consisted of sperm whales, fin whales, blue whales, gray whales and either bowhead whales or ideal whales. Protein data can not compare the latter two whale types.

This tale was upgraded Might 28, 2025, to correct a dating reference for the example of whale bone artefacts. Few whale bone devices in their sample dated to behind 16,000 years ago, as opposed to earlier as originally stated.

Early Whale Bone Tool Use

Formerly excavated discovers at Stone Age cavern and rock– sanctuary sites ranging from northwestern Spain to southwestern France, some located as for regarding 300 kilometers inland, stand for the earliest well-known examples of whale bone devices, claim archaeologist Jean-Marc Pétillon of the University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès, France, and coworkers. Implements made of whale bones in various other parts of the globe, such as the South Pacific islands, day to no greater than several thousand years of ages.

Beach scavengers in Western Europe accumulated bones from the bodies of at least 5 whale varieties that had actually washed ashore, the scientists state. Whale bone tools at the sites that the team studied generally consisted of spear factors and spear shafts.

Whale Oil Extraction

Aside from those applies, a cave near Spain’s northern coastline contained whale bones that had been purposefully broken to get fatty oil, a nourishing addition to Stone Age diets, the detectives state. Bone pieces at that site came from a minimum of two whales, one dating to around 15,500 years ago and the other to about 15,000 years earlier, Pétillon states.

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