Credit: University of Tübingen
Posted on 01/04/2023 9:27:31 AM PST by SunkenCiv
Humans have been using bear skins to protect themselves from cold weather for at least 300,000 years. This is suggested by cut marks on the metatarsal and phalanx of a cave bear discovered at the Lower Paleolithic site of Schöningen in Lower Saxony, Germany. This makes it one of the oldest examples of this type in the world...
A bear's winter coat consists of both long outer hairs that form an airy protective layer and short, dense hairs that provide particularly good insulation. Bears, including extinct cave bears, needed a highly insulating coat for hibernation. "These newly discovered cut marks are an indication that about 300,000 years ago, people in northern Europe were able to survive in winter thanks in part to warm bear skins," says the researcher, a doctoral student in the Schöningen research project and employee of the State Heritage Office of Lower Saxony...
"If only adult animals are found at an archaeological site, this is usually considered an indication of hunting—at Schöningen, all the bear bones and teeth belonged to adult individuals." In addition, he said, bear skin must be removed shortly after the animal's death, otherwise the hair is lost and the skin becomes unusable. "Since the animal was skinned, it couldn't have been dead for long at that point," Verheijen explains.
(Excerpt) Read more at phys.org ...
Clan Cave Bear recognizes this cultural appropriation.
Bears have been eating people for 300,001 years........
not people, but https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_heidelbergensis
I think they’ve had bare skin longer than that...
"With a brain half the size of a modern one and a brow reminiscent of Homo habilis, this hominid is one of the most primitive members of our genus on record. Paleoartist John Gurche reconstructed this 1.75-million-year-old explorer from a nearly complete teenage H. erectus skull and associated mandible found in Dmanisi in the Republic of Georgia. The background figures derive from two partial crania recovered at the site."
Does that include “native muricans”? (Facetious question?)
and Aaron Rodgers has been skinning Bears for nearly 15 years.........
Only Neanderthals and possibly one or two other pre-Homo Sapiens.
Homo heidelbergensis, possibly? Anyone know if there are Homo Erectus fossils in Germany or Europe?
Speaking personally, I would not be thrilled about to trying to kill a wild bear with pointed sticks and sharp edged stones!
i went bare hunting once but it was winter and far too cold
I can kill ‘em and skin ‘em as fast as you can bring them in...
Division of labor - hallmark of civilization... :D
Are bear skins nice to have? I might want one.
So BF and canid buddies and the hunting trips.... how many Bearskin rugs do you have lying around the farmhouse now? :)
(Carrying on a millenia long tradition!!)
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