Neanderthal bone tools have been discovered in Romania for the first time

The Abri 122/1200 site is situated in the Vârgăș Gorges in central Romania. People occupied this site during the Middle Palaeolithic — a period associated in Europe primarily with Neanderthals.

Stone tools and the bones of large animals, including bison and woolly rhinoceroses, had previously been found here. However, no definitive bone tools had been discovered.

This seemed unusual. In other regions of Europe – from the western parts to the Crimea and Altai – archaeologists have long found evidence that Neanderthals used bone as a working material.

The researchers suggested that the problem might not have been the absence of such tools, but rather the way in which the excavations had previously been carried out.

Details

In the past, archaeologists often paid more attention to large and well-preserved bones. Small fragments might not have been collected or considered as potential tools.

This is precisely why the team decided to examine the material in as much detail as possible.

The researchers examined thousands of fragments under a microscope, looking for characteristic signs of use: fine scratches, smoothed and rounded edges, polishing, impact damage and other traces of contact with materials.

To ensure their interpretation was correct, the scientists fashioned their own experimental tools from bone and carried out the presumed actions with them. They then compared the resulting wear and tear with that on the ancient specimens.

In total, the researchers identified 83 bones showing clear signs of human use.

The marks suggested several possible uses. Some bone fragments may have been used in the manufacture or retouching of stone tools, whilst others were used for processing hides and plants.

Some of the objects were used as wedges for splitting materials. A few served multiple functions, whilst two bone fragments, judging by the damage, were used as percussion tools.

However, these were generally not carefully crafted objects of complex shape.

Researchers classify the majority of the tools found as situational tools.

Neanderthals did not necessarily have to spend a long time working the bone in advance to turn it into a specialised tool. They could simply pick up a suitable fragment, carry out the necessary task and then discard it.

This strategy demonstrates a flexible use of available raw materials: alongside stone, people could use bone whenever it was better suited to a particular task.

This is precisely why such tools are easily overlooked during excavations — outwardly, they may be virtually indistinguishable from ordinary bone fragments.

The find has filled a gap in the archaeology of the Carpathians

The use of bone tools by Neanderthals is not, in itself, a new discovery. Similar finds are known from other European regions.

However, there has been no reliable evidence for Romania until now.

The new study shows that the inhabitants of the Carpathians used bone in a much more varied way than previous finds would have suggested.

The authors believe that even older archaeological collections may contain unrecognised bone tools. Moreover, some of these may have remained amongst material that previous researchers did not collect at all.

There is an important caveat here.

No human remains have yet been discovered at Abri 122/1200 that could be directly identified as Neanderthal. The link between the tools and Neanderthals is based on the site’s age, its Middle Palaeolithic archaeological context and the nature of the stone tool industry found there.

The team is therefore continuing its search for more direct evidence.

Researchers are testing the soil for ancient DNA and analysing numerous bone fragments in the hope of finding the remains of Neanderthals themselves.

Why this is important

The new findings add to our understanding of Neanderthals’ daily lives.

They show that their toolkit was not limited to stone. Even small and almost unworked pieces of bone could be turned into scrapers, wedges, percussion tools or implements for working with other materials.

However, it would be too bold to interpret the find as direct evidence of Neanderthals’ ‘high intelligence’. Archaeologists can speak with confidence, first and foremost, of technological flexibility and the ability to use different materials to solve specific problems.

The study also demonstrates just how important modern methods are for analysing old finds: what previously looked like ordinary bone debris may, under a microscope, turn out to be a tool used tens of thousands of years ago.

Source

Study: Monica Mărgărit et al. Insights into Neanderthal technological practices: Evidence of anthropogenic modifications on animal bones at the Abri 122/1200 Middle Palaeolithic site (Eastern Carpathians, Romania).

Journal: Journal of Quaternary Science, 2026.