Birch tar is the oldest synthetic substance made by early humans. The earliest such artefacts
are associated with Neanderthals. According to traditional interpretations, their study allows …

Technological processes, reconstructed from the archaeological record, are used to study
the evolution of behaviour and cognition of Neanderthals and early modern humans. In …

The intentional production of birch bark tar by European Neanderthals as early as 190,000
years ago plays an important role in discussions about the technological and behavioural …

Studying the earliest archaeological adhesives has implications for our understanding of
human cognition. In southern Africa, the oldest adhesives were made by Homo sapiens in …

An adhesive is any substance that bonds different materials together. This broad definition
includes materials used in everything from hafted stone tools to monumental architecture. In …

The use of birch tar can be traced back to the European Middle Palaeolithic and is relevant
for our understanding of the technical skills and cognitive abilities of Neanderthals. Due to …

Birch bark tar was used extensively throughout human history. While later ceramic-based
production technologies are known, prehistoric aceramic techniques leave little to no …

Research into human uniqueness is gaining increasing importance in prehistoric
archaeology. The most striking behaviour unique to early and modern humans among other …

Birch tar is one of the oldest adhesives known in human history. Its production has been
discussed in the framework of early complex behaviours and sophisticated cognitive …

Birch tar is the earliest adhesive produced by Neanderthals in the European Palaeolithic.
Experimental studies have proposed a number of aceramic (ie without the use of ceramics) …