10 Nifty Things Neanderthals Did That Wows Modern Humans

We share about 98% of our DNA with Neanderthals, making them our closest human relatives. Our two species overlapped for a long time and even interbred, but 40,000 or 30,000 years ago, Neanderthals went the way of the dodo.

Modern human bias bestowed a “dumb caveman” persona upon Neanderthals, an image that would stick for decades. But as artefacts rise to the surface and scientists refine their research, it’s becoming clear that Neanderthals were as innovative as we are. From running fat factories to diving to the bottom of the ocean, here are ten fascinating Neanderthal discoveries you can explore today!

Related: Top 10 Remarkable Early Human Relatives

10 They Upcycled Old Tools

In 2025, bone tools were discovered in Scladina Cave in Belgium. The four pieces came from the same tibia (leg bone) of a cave lion. At first blush, one might discard the find as just another heap of fossils or old tools.

However, the artifacts were special for several reasons. Cave lions were deadly and probably preyed on Neanderthals. Whether the craftsmen actively hunted and killed this dangerous feline or scavenged the skeleton remains unknown. Either way, at 130,000 years old, the tools are the oldest cave lion bone artifacts ever pulled from the earth.

The bones’ polished veneer suggested repeated use, but their original purpose is a mystery (although one piece resembled a chisel). Further examination revealed that the bones were repurposed as retouchers—tools used to shape stone.

Overall, the fragments showed that Neanderthals were adept toolmakers. They sourced the necessary materials and carefully forged the original tools they needed. Once their equipment wore out, they knew how to transform it for another purpose—a valuable skill in a world where you couldn’t drive to the nearest hardware store when your hammer broke.^[1]

9 Neanderthal Sea Divers

In 2020, a new study revealed a fascinating—and rather human—trait of Neanderthals. Some dwelt along the coast and dived into the ocean. One such location is Grotta dei Moscerini, a beachfront cave in Italy.

Around 100,000 years ago, Neanderthals lived in this cave and modified at least 171 seashells to act as scrapers. All the shells came from the same species, the Mediterranean smooth clam, or Callista chione. Most were probably collected on beach walks, but shell damage and the presence of marine organisms confirmed that about a quarter of the shells were harvested directly from the seafloor as living animals.

This isn’t the only evidence suggesting that Neanderthals were active coastal dwellers. Several studies found that an extraordinary number of Neanderthal skulls had bony ear growths consistent with a condition called “Surfer’s Ear,” which develops when a person spends a lot of time in cold ocean water.^[2]

8 Neanderthals Invented Tar

The world’s first synthetic substance was birch tar. Ancient humans in Europe used this gummy goo as glue and waterproofing, and even exploited its antimicrobial properties. Humans invented a lot of things. But the trophy for tar belongs on the mantlepiece of Neanderthals.

For a long time, birch tar usage among Neanderthals divided researchers. One group supported the idea that our hominid cousins purposefully concocted tar by burning birch bark. Others believed Neanderthals scooped up ready-to-use goo as a happy accident when birch bark burned incidentally in their hearths.

Around 2023, the truth surfaced. Researchers examined two Neanderthal artifacts with tar from Germany and realized that nothing was accidental. The 200,000-year-old tar had been deprived of oxygen during its formation, which left behind a specific chemical signature. Scientists could only replicate it in an underground oven.

After recreating Neanderthal tar, the study revealed a very specific recipe. It was so sophisticated that the ingredients could be buried and left alone until the final product was ready—100,000 years before modern humans developed the same method.^[3]

7 Their Tools Had Special Handles

Sometime between 120,000 and 40,000 years ago, Neanderthals crafted a collection of tools. For reasons unknown, the items were abandoned at a location that would later become Le Moustier in France.

The tools were discovered in the early 20th century, taken to Berlin’s Museum of Prehistory and Early History, and sometime during the 1960s, they were forgotten. Nearly 60 years later, in 2024, staff were reviewing the museum’s collections when they stumbled upon the tools and realized their scientific worth.

One might imagine Neanderthal tools as crude—maybe a sharpened stick or a chipped stone. But the Le Moustier items did not fit this stereotype. Instead, they were sophisticated and displayed an unexpected feature: grips or handles made of glue.

The adhesive, the oldest ever found in Europe, consisted of bitumen and ochre. Bitumen is naturally sticky, and ochre is pigmented earth. When used in liquid form and mixed with large amounts of ochre, the resulting substance could be molded into handles, almost like artist’s clay. The mixture stuck to tools—but not unpleasantly to someone’s hand.^[4]

6 Behold the Boss Jewelry

What did Neanderthal jewelry look like? Was it a bone through the nose, or perhaps a deer skull hat with antlers? While no evidence exists for such accessories, there is proof that Neanderthals wore something so fierce that Alice Cooper might write a song about it.

Years ago, at the Krapina Neanderthal site in Croatia, several eagle talons were discovered, examined, and forgotten. Around 2015, the eight claws were dusted off and reconsidered. This time, researchers noticed their polished surfaces and 21 carved grooves—clear signs that the talons had been worn as necklaces or bracelets around 80,000 years ago.

The jewelry is a rare, possibly unique find. Eagles were uncommon and hard to hunt, although the talons could have come from scavenged remains. Either way, Neanderthals clearly appreciated statement-making fashion just as much as modern humans.^[5]

5 Miniature Portrait Art

In 2022, a river stone turned up in a rock shelter in Spain. Right away, it stood out. The rock’s natural features resembled a human face—eyes, nose, and mouth. A red dot marked the nose ridge, and tests identified the pigment as ochre.

Scientists also spotted fingerprint whorls in the paint and enlisted Spanish forensic police, who confirmed it as a Neanderthal fingerprint, likely from an adult male around 43,000 years ago.

So, why did this man mark the rock’s nose with red pigment? Researchers suspect he experienced pareidolia—a moment when the brain sees a face in random shapes. Amused by the resemblance, he may have brought the rock home and added a personal touch.

The stone is significant. It supports the idea that Neanderthals had imagination, abstract thought, and artists. It’s possibly the oldest hominid “face art” and the most complete Neanderthal fingerprint ever discovered.^[6]

4 Maggots on the Menu

In 1991, a study found nitrogen-15 in Neanderthal bones—a chemical found in meat-eating animals. The levels were so high that researchers concluded Neanderthals were hyper-carnivores, consuming more meat than cave lions or hyenas.

But human biology didn’t agree. People who eat only meat risk developing ammonia toxicity, a potentially deadly condition. Neanderthals were human too—so how did they handle all that protein?

One possible explanation is that the nitrogen-15 didn’t come from meat alone. Recent research suggests Neanderthals may have dined on maggots.

When maggots feed on rotting meat, they become rich in nitrogen-15. The more decayed the meat, the more nitrogen-15 the maggots absorb. Today, some hunter-gatherers eat maggots for their fat, protein, and salty taste. It’s not a stretch to think Neanderthals did too.^[7]

3 Aptitude for Textile Making and Math

In recent years, scientists were exploring Abri du Maras in France when they stumbled upon a Neanderthal Levallois flake—a stone tool—with an extraordinary surprise: pieces of twisted fiber between 41,000 and 52,000 years old.

The 2020 study revealed that Neanderthals had mastered textile technology and likely understood basic math.

The cord-maker took three bundles of bark fibers, each plaited with an S-twist, and combined them with a Z-twist to create a stronger, three-ply cord. While the end use remains unclear, experts believe Neanderthals used such cords to make ropes, nets, baskets, and bags.

This is the oldest known evidence of spinning yarn from natural fibers. Even more impressively, it shows an understanding that three strands made a stronger cord than two—implying a grasp of quantity and basic structure.^[8]

2 This Spear Point Changed History

Neanderthal weapons are rare. So when a spear point was found in Mezmaiskaya Cave in southern Russia, it became a game-changer.

Contrary to the belief that Neanderthals only made stone tools, this item was crafted from bone—30,000 years before Homo sapiens arrived in Europe.

The spear point, dated between 70,000 and 80,000 years ago, was fashioned from a bison leg bone, polished to a point, and hardened with fire. Traces of bitumen revealed how it was glued to a wooden shaft. A tiny crack surrounded by fracture patterns showed it likely struck bone during a hunt.

The artifact challenges long-held beliefs about Neanderthal capabilities and proves they developed complex weaponry on their own.^[9]

1 Fat Factories

A clever survivalist will squeeze every last drop from a food source. Neanderthals understood this. Once an animal was down, they stripped the meat and went for the bones—not to gnaw, but to mine them for marrow and grease.

Several sites have been identified as Neanderthal “fat factories” where bones were systematically processed. In 2025, a bone processing site of unprecedented scale and sophistication was discovered in Germany.

Archaeologists found over 100,000 bone fragments from at least 172 large mammals, dating back 125,000 years. This wasn’t a random pile of broken bones—it was a highly organized operation.

To run such a facility required foresight and coordination. Neanderthals had to plan the hunts, haul the carcasses back, and process the remains in specific work areas. It’s compelling evidence that these early humans were strategic, intelligent, and industrious.^[10]

fact checked by
Darci Heikkinen