Archaeologists have discovered two ancient ring structures built by Neanderthals nearly 336 meters deep inside Bruniquel Cave in southwestern France. Daily Galaxy reported on the discovery, located in the total darkness of the cave where a 230-centimeter catfish with a strange find in its mouth was also recently caught.
The structures are approximately 176,500 years old. Because this age far predates the arrival of Homo sapiens in Europe, researchers concluded that Neanderthals were the only possible builders. The discovery challenges decades of assumptions that portrayed Neanderthals as primitive relatives incapable of planning, cooperation, or symbolic thought.
Reaching the hidden chamber required traveling hundreds of meters through total darkness using artificial light. The construction demonstrates that the builders entered the deep cave with a clear purpose to construct something specific.
Stalagmite ring dimensions and fire marks
The two ring structures sit in the largest hall of the cave and were built almost entirely from stalagmites torn from the cave floor. The larger ring measures 6.7 by 4.5 meters, while the smaller ring measures 2.2 by 2.1 meters.
In total, the builders used about 400 stalagmite fragments with a combined length of 112.4 meters and a weight of roughly 2.2 tons of calcite. Most fragments measure around 30 centimeters long, indicating that the builders intentionally broke them to a uniform size before arranging them into circular shapes.
Many fragments show clear burn marks, with the calcite turned black and red in places from deliberate exposure to fire. The exact reason why the builders burned the fragments remains an open question.
Uranium dating results and Neanderthal origin
Archaeologists first examined Bruniquel Cave in the 1990s, when a burned bone fragment found among the stalagmites indicated an age of about 47,600 years. That initial date left open the possibility of modern human involvement.
According to a study published in the journal Nature, a separate research team changed that timeline in 2016 by applying uranium dating directly to the calcite. The test pushed the age back to roughly 176,500 years ago, leading dating researchers to conclude that only Neanderthals could have created the rings.
Hypotheses on purpose and social organization
The actual purpose of the structures remains unresolved. Some researchers hypothesize that the rings served as a shelter built during a period when glacial conditions covered the region. Others suggest the site had a ritual function similar to an early temple, or served as a practical domestic space.
In their 2016 paper on the dating findings, Jacques Jaubert and his co-authors stated that the discovery was unprecedented in two ways. First, they noted that it demonstrates the mastery of a deep karst space, including lighting, by a prehistoric human species. Second, they said it represents complex structures of hundreds of calibrated, broken stalagmites intentionally moved into place alongside several specially heated zones.
Scientists suggested that the Neanderthal group responsible for the structures possessed a much higher level of social organization than previously believed. The findings align with growing evidence from other cave sites, including in Spain, where Neanderthals created drawings on stalagmites roughly 65,000 years ago.
Ivory tool discovery in southern England
In related archaeological news, a 500,000-year-old ivory tool discovered in southern England is altering views on early human technology. The rare artifact was used to repair stone tools, showing that prehistoric humans manufactured specialized equipment hundreds of thousands of years ago.
