320 thousand years ago, when there was no trace of modern humans yet, people defined as ‘Homo eroctus’ lived. A new study has revealed the ‘fashion’ of humanity in these times.
The finger bones of the cave bear found in the Schöningen region of Germany, a paradise for archaeologists, showed that the bears were greatly utilized to survive in those years. The streak-shaped marks on the bones indicated that bear skins were also used for survival.
Humans also used bear skins for survival 320 thousand years ago:
The bones in question were not actually newly discovered. The bones were found in the 1990s along with tools made from bones and stones. However, no meaning could be attributed to the scratches found on the bears’ finger bones.
Scratches on other bones normally indicated that people had cut the meat of animals. But the situation here was different, as the amount of meat that could be eaten on bears’ fingers was extremely low.
To make sense of the lines on the finger bones, scientists specifically looked at past discoveries about the process of peeling an animal’s skin. In these discoveries, lines on some bones were seen as evidence of peeling off the animal skin.
The cut marks found on the bear’s fingerbone were also very similar to those found in other discoveries in the past. Based on this comparison, scientists concluded that people 320 thousand years ago stripped the skin of bears.
Of course, these skins were not intended to be ‘fashionable’ in any way. The skins were used to protect from the cold, especially in cold weather. However, it is speculated that the skins may have been used as protection while sleeping.
3720
