Turkish Cave Shows Consistent Tools and Shells Across Neanderthal and Homo Sapiens Occupations

Archaeologists recovered nearly 20,000 stone artifacts and nearly 30 Columbella rustica shells from Üçağızlı II cave on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. The 56-square-metre site showed the same foundational toolkit and shell collection across every occupation layer. Naoki Morimoto of Kyoto University led the first full excavation in 2020.

Neanderthals used the cave from 77,000 to 59,000 years ago. Homo sapiens then occupied it from 59,000 to 47,000 years ago. The stone-tool technology remained consistent throughout. Both groups also collected the same small sea snail shells, some of which showed modifications such as broken points or holes that may indicate decorative use.

Columbella rustica shells formed the majority of finds in all deposits. Morimoto stated that the consistency is difficult to explain by independent processes alone. “This strong preference suggests that both human groups shared a common cultural evaluation of this specific shell, finding it uniquely valuable or attractive,” he said.

“We cannot definitively prove a temporal or physical overlap between the two hominin species in the region of the site or the site itself,” Morimoto added. He proposed regional contact or overlapping territories as a plausible explanation. John Gowlett of the University of Liverpool said the findings increase the complexity of understanding relations between the two groups.

Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum in London noted evidence of cultural sharing at older sites in the Levant and possible interbreeding around 100,000 years ago. 2609061123.