| Transcript |
| 0:00 | · | (nice jingly curious music) |
| 0:02 | · | - One of the most intriguing artifacts |
| 0:04 | · | from Paleolithic Europe |
| 0:06 | · | are perforated batons. |
| 0:08 | · | They are found across Western and Central Europe |
| 0:10 | · | and date to between 40,000 and maybe 15,000 years ago, |
| 0:15 | · | roughly, rough dates, |
| 0:17 | · | an absolutely huge span of time |
| 0:21 | · | roughly coinciding with the height of the last ice age. |
| 0:24 | · | For a long time, |
| 0:25 | · | archeologists have wondered |
| 0:26 | · | what they were used for. |
| 0:28 | · | Were they symbolic? Maybe a symbol of power? |
| 0:32 | · | Or were they practical, |
| 0:34 | · | a tool to help people survive in the last ice age? |
| 0:37 | · | Let's find out. |
| 0:39 | · | (jingly curious music continues) |
| 0:45 | · | This whole video began the other day |
| 0:47 | · | when I got an email from one of you guys: |
| 0:50 | · | "Hi, big fan of yours here. |
| 0:52 | · | I just wanted to let you know |
| 0:54 | · | about a recent article on perforated batons. |
| 0:57 | · | I and many of us fans, I'm sure, |
| 1:00 | · | would love a video of you exploring this possible solution |
| 1:03 | · | to the perforated batons mystery. |
| 1:06 | · | Cheers, Victor." |
| 1:08 | · | You are absolutely right, Victor. |
| 1:10 | · | It's a great topic, |
| 1:11 | · | so huge shout out to you for emailing me, honestly. |
| 1:13 | · | I know a bunch of you guys do all the time, |
| 1:15 | · | and you're all a bunch of legends. |
| 1:18 | · | (car booms and you dive out the way like a boss) |
| 1:20 | · | "Rope Making in the Aurignacian of Central Europe |
| 1:22 | · | More than 35,000 Years Ago," |
| 1:24 | · | this new paper came out in January. |
| 1:27 | · | It's a really great study. |
| 1:28 | · | I had to email one of the authors of the paper, |
| 1:31 | · | Professor Nicholas Conard, right away |
| 1:34 | · | to get to the bottom of this. |
| 1:36 | · | - So, where I am in Germany, |
| 1:37 | · | ya know, I can look out my window |
| 1:38 | · | and look into the Neckar Valley, |
| 1:40 | · | and for me, it's super easy |
| 1:42 | · | to imagine, you know, the woolly mammoths and woolly rhinos |
| 1:44 | · | and the lions and just everything happening out there, |
| 1:47 | · | how people were getting their stone artifacts, making them, |
| 1:52 | · | how you would survive in the Ice Age or in a warm period, |
| 1:56 | · | and all of those things, |
| 1:58 | · | to me, seem relevant. |
| 2:02 | · | It seems like part of our history. |
| 2:04 | · | - In his paper, coauthored with Veerle Rots, |
| 2:07 | · | Nicholas describes this really interesting baton, |
| 2:10 | · | excavated from Hohle Fels. |
| 2:13 | · | Situated in Southern Germany, |
| 2:16 | · | Hohle Fels is one of the most incredible Paleolithic sites |
| 2:19 | · | in all of Europe, probably all of the world, in fact. |
| 2:23 | · | Archeologists have recovered |
| 2:25 | · | female figurines, musical instruments, |
| 2:29 | · | mysterious oblong artifacts (wink wink) |
| 2:32 | · | whose, uh, use escapes us, |
| 2:35 | · | all sorts of incredible relics of Paleolithic life, |
| 2:39 | · | and Nicholas has been there for a lot of it. |
| 2:42 | · | Southern Germany, in particular, is just a fantastic place |
| 2:45 | · | to study the Paleolithic, |
| 2:47 | · | so many great finds. |
| 2:49 | · | Lion Man was from there, too, |
| 2:51 | · | and this baton is another incredible find, as well. |
| 2:55 | · | - August 15th, 2015, we found it, and the pieces were... |
| 2:59 | · | There were about 13 pieces lying next to each other. |
| 3:01 | · | It had to be glued back together, |
| 3:04 | · | but it was largely intact and crushed in place, |
| 3:07 | · | and it was by far |
| 3:09 | · | the best-preserved ivory perforated baton |
| 3:12 | · | we've ever found |
| 3:14 | · | or that's ever been found anywhere. |
| 3:16 | · | - Perforated batons are typically made out of deer antler. |
| 3:20 | · | I have an antler lying around actually. |
| 3:25 | · | Yeah, so a perforated baton is typically made |
| 3:28 | · | out of a piece of antler, like this. |
| 3:30 | · | Drill a hole somewhere around here, |
| 3:33 | · | maybe where the antler branches out even more. |
| 3:35 | · | - And for the first time, |
| 3:37 | · | we found a really beautifully preserved perforated baton |
| 3:40 | · | made from mammoth ivory, |
| 3:42 | · | and that got my attention. |
| 3:43 | · | I called Veerle Rots, |
| 3:44 | · | who is my partner |
| 3:46 | · | for use wear and studies of residue sticking to tools, |
| 3:51 | · | and one main question we had... |
| 3:54 | · | Well, first we have a description of the piece. |
| 3:56 | · | But what was it used for? |
| 3:59 | · | (camera beeps) |
| 4:00 | · | - Guys, I enjoy imagining life in the Paleolithic, |
| 4:02 | · | but I don't want to smell like life in the Paleolithic. |
| 4:06 | · | Just want to say thanks to Scentbird |
| 4:08 | · | for sponsoring this video. |
| 4:09 | · | Scentbird, for those who don't know, |
| 4:10 | · | is a monthly subscription service |
| 4:13 | · | for cologne, perfumes, fragrances. |
| 4:16 | · | They send you about a 30-day supply |
| 4:20 | · | of the cologne. |
| 4:21 | · | Now, my experience shopping for cologne |
| 4:23 | · | is basically buy a large bottle for too much money |
| 4:27 | · | and then use it for the next 18 months |
| 4:30 | · | and smell exactly the same every day, |
| 4:32 | · | and I don't love that. |
| 4:34 | · | I would like to be a guy who can sorta smell good, |
| 4:39 | · | can, you know, mix it up for the occasion or what have you. |
| 4:43 | · | This one is Roja Elysium. |
| 4:46 | · | Let's give it a go. |
| 4:48 | · | (Roja hisses) (sniffs) This one I like. |
| 4:49 | · | This one is kinda... |
| 4:50 | · | Citrusy and peppery is the notes. |
| 4:52 | · | Very summery, very tennis club, |
| 4:55 | · | smells like I just smashed Charles in three straight sets. |
| 4:59 | · | This is another one I really like, Padre by MA|LO. |
| 5:03 | · | Obviously, I am a dad, so I love anything dad-coded. |
| 5:07 | · | (Padre hisses) Mm, this one's manly. |
| 5:09 | · | "Leather and sandalwood." |
| 5:11 | · | "Leather and sandalwood." Smells like I could tame a horse. |
| 5:15 | · | I can't, but now I could smell like I can (laughs). |
| 5:20 | · | You know the Lion Man in the Paleolithic? |
| 5:23 | · | This is what they would be wearing, okay? |
| 5:25 | · | That's a manly smell. |
| 5:26 | · | If you're interested in trying Scentbird, |
| 5:28 | · | scan the QR code, or use the link below, |
| 5:30 | · | and with my coupon code, Stefan, |
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| 5:35 | · | plus you'll get free delivery to your door and a free case. |
| 5:39 | · | Just $8 for cologne, that's a great deal. |
| 5:43 | · | That's a bargain. That's a steal. |
| 5:45 | · | Huge thanks to Scentbird for sponsoring this video. |
| 5:48 | · | Back to these batons. |
| 5:50 | · | Were they cologne dispensers? Probably not, probably not. |
| 5:53 | · | (camera beeps) |
| 5:54 | · | In the past, |
| 5:55 | · | perforated batons were often interpreted as ritual objects |
| 6:00 | · | because their use isn't immediately obvious, |
| 6:02 | · | unlike an axe or something, right? |
| 6:05 | · | It doesn't immediately jump out to you |
| 6:06 | · | what this thing could be used for. |
| 6:08 | · | Some archeologists in the past wondered |
| 6:11 | · | if they were, like, a badge of office. |
| 6:14 | · | - For instance, Gustav Riek, |
| 6:15 | · | at the nearby site at Geissenkloesterle, |
| 6:17 | · | found one with two holes |
| 6:19 | · | and he said it was a gorget, right? |
| 6:21 | · | - A gorget was a piece of medieval armor |
| 6:24 | · | that went around your neck, |
| 6:26 | · | but over time |
| 6:27 | · | as the medieval battlefield went away |
| 6:30 | · | and the medieval knight was replaced |
| 6:32 | · | by early modern armies and guns and things like that, |
| 6:36 | · | the gorget gradually became |
| 6:39 | · | this, like, regimental badge, this symbol. |
| 6:44 | · | Here's actually a picture |
| 6:45 | · | of George Washington wearing one here, George Washington |
| 6:48 | · | in his rather dashing British military uniform, |
| 6:52 | · | wearing a gorget. |
| 6:53 | · | - But you know, that's a pretty big stretch |
| 6:56 | · | to go from the Napoleonic Wars to 40,000 years ago. |
| 7:01 | · | - That opinion, I don't how common it is, |
| 7:03 | · | but to be honest, |
| 7:05 | · | Nicholas and most archeologists, it seems, nowadays believe |
| 7:08 | · | that this object was practical. |
| 7:11 | · | - And the other explanations |
| 7:13 | · | of, you know, a symbol of power, |
| 7:16 | · | I can't really get too far with that. |
| 7:19 | · | And one thing Veerle and I both thought |
| 7:20 | · | was that it looked much more like a high-tech tool |
| 7:26 | · | than a symbol of power or an artwork, |
| 7:29 | · | so we were both on the same page: |
| 7:31 | · | "This is probably something practical." |
| 7:33 | · | - One of the really interesting features |
| 7:36 | · | of this baton from Hohle Fels |
| 7:38 | · | if I pull it up here |
| 7:40 | · | is that it has four holes, |
| 7:44 | · | which is quite rare. |
| 7:45 | · | Often, one or two is much more common. |
| 7:49 | · | And they also have these spirals engraved around the holes. |
| 7:53 | · | To Nicholas and Veerle, |
| 7:55 | · | this is a big clue to their function. |
| 7:58 | · | - Veerle Rots and I both thought, |
| 7:59 | · | "Well, this is used for something," |
| 8:01 | · | and we thought, with the spirals in the holes, |
| 8:04 | · | it had to have something to do |
| 8:05 | · | with feeding something through the hole |
| 8:08 | · | and pulling it out the other side. |
| 8:09 | · | And the grooves in these beautiful spirals, |
| 8:13 | · | you know, we came to the conclusion, |
| 8:14 | · | were probably to orient whatever you're putting |
| 8:17 | · | through the hole |
| 8:18 | · | and rotate it and put some sort of twist on it. |
| 8:21 | · | And there aren't that many things |
| 8:23 | · | you could put through a hole, |
| 8:24 | · | and we pretty quickly came upon the idea that, maybe, |
| 8:29 | · | if you put plant fibers or some elongated fibers through it |
| 8:34 | · | and they get twisted, |
| 8:35 | · | that you might be able to use it |
| 8:36 | · | to make twine or rope |
| 8:39 | · | or combine small pieces of rope to make big pieces of rope. |
| 8:42 | · | - Veerle and her team analyzed all the nooks and crannies |
| 8:47 | · | of this artifact. |
| 8:50 | · | They never clean them 100%, |
| 8:52 | · | because that information is so valuable, right? |
| 8:55 | · | The dirt and grime inside them are so valuable. |
| 8:58 | · | They found tiny, microscopic fragments of plant fibers. |
| 9:03 | · | These obviously could've been introduced by the dirt, |
| 9:05 | · | so they tested the sediment |
| 9:07 | · | that was recovered from around the object as well, |
| 9:10 | · | and they found much more plant fibers inside this object |
| 9:15 | · | than from the sediment just around it. |
| 9:17 | · | So, that is a positive piece of evidence |
| 9:20 | · | that plant fibers were connected to this object in some way. |
| 9:24 | · | The only thing left to do, really, |
| 9:26 | · | was make a replica and give it a go. |
| 9:28 | · | (mouse clicks) |
| 9:29 | · | - And they keep twisting. |
| 9:31 | · | And then the person holding the baton just keeps pushing it, |
| 9:35 | · | and the stuff... |
| 9:36 | · | And it sticks together. |
| 9:37 | · | You have to tie off, where the... |
| 9:41 | · | That is Grizzly. |
| 9:43 | · | His name's Christian. He's nicknamed Grizzly. |
| 9:45 | · | And if you tie that off and keep pushing, |
| 9:48 | · | it just twists up together, |
| 9:49 | · | and if everyone twists |
| 9:50 | · | and, at the same time, the one guy's holding it |
| 9:53 | · | and pushing it forward and tying off the end, |
| 9:58 | · | you know, just regular people who don't do this every day |
| 10:00 | · | can make five meters a very strong rope |
| 10:03 | · | in about 10 minutes. |
| 10:04 | · | So, you can- - Oh, wow, |
| 10:05 | · | that's very quick actually. |
| 10:06 | · | - Yeah, yeah, you could- - Quicker than I thought. |
| 10:07 | · | - No, you can see in the video. |
| 10:10 | · | It's not that hard, |
| 10:12 | · | and the rope's super strong. |
| 10:14 | · | (funky but curious whistle tunes) |
| 10:17 | · | - Now, does this prove definitively |
| 10:20 | · | that perforated batons are rope making tools? |
| 10:23 | · | Probably not, probably not, |
| 10:25 | · | and that's not the argument |
| 10:26 | · | that Nicholas and Veerle are making. |
| 10:28 | · | They are simply saying |
| 10:30 | · | that this particular baton is very good at making rope. |
| 10:34 | · | If Paleolithic people needed a tool to help them make rope, |
| 10:38 | · | this would be an excellent option. |
| 10:40 | · | Some perforated batons found in Britain |
| 10:43 | · | from a site called Gough's Cave... |
| 10:45 | · | These only had one hole, |
| 10:47 | · | which, as I said, is much more typical, |
| 10:49 | · | but they also had the spiraling grooves around them, |
| 10:53 | · | and it seems like they were broken |
| 10:56 | · | under a lot of stress, a lot of pressure. |
| 10:59 | · | Again, that, to me, suggests |
| 11:00 | · | that they could be involved in rope making in some way. |
| 11:04 | · | Something is putting a lot of strain on these objects. |
| 11:07 | · | - If you count... |
| 11:08 | · | I haven't done it, |
| 11:09 | · | but I know there are a lot of perforated batons. |
| 11:12 | · | We're not talking about, you know, 10 or 20. |
| 11:14 | · | We're talking about hundreds. |
| 11:16 | · | And so, these are things that pop up across Europe |
| 11:20 | · | in many contexts: in the Aurignacian, in the Gravettian, |
| 11:23 | · | in the Magdalenian. |
| 11:24 | · | And it's not chance. |
| 11:27 | · | They were definitely good for something. |
| 11:30 | · | - There's another really interesting example |
| 11:33 | · | of perforated batons, from Italy. |
| 11:36 | · | They were found in the grave |
| 11:38 | · | of a young chap archeologists call Il Principe, The Prince, |
| 11:42 | · | because he was buried |
| 11:44 | · | with a huge amount of artifacts for the time. |
| 11:47 | · | This chap was laid to rest |
| 11:49 | · | with an elaborately knapped flint blade, |
| 11:52 | · | shells either braided into his hair |
| 11:55 | · | or perhaps worn as some sort of cap, |
| 11:57 | · | and four perforated batons. |
| 12:00 | · | Again, it's so hard to say for sure, |
| 12:02 | · | but I really wanted to ask Nicholas |
| 12:05 | · | what he thought of this burial. |
| 12:07 | · | As I'd studied it a lot; |
| 12:09 | · | I know many of you have seen the video on it already; |
| 12:12 | · | I had to ask him what he thought |
| 12:13 | · | of this burial with these four batons. |
| 12:17 | · | Do you think that their inclusion in at least some burials |
| 12:20 | · | suggest that these are in some way important? |
| 12:25 | · | - I think the answer to that question |
| 12:27 | · | "'some way important?' definitely." |
| 12:29 | · | - Yeah. |
| 12:31 | · | - I'm a little hesitant to say, |
| 12:33 | · | "Well, the Paleolithic grave is just like in ancient Egypt, |
| 12:36 | · | where you get on your ship of the dead |
| 12:39 | · | and you need everything that you need in regular life |
| 12:42 | · | for the other side, |
| 12:44 | · | in the nether world or wherever you go when you die." |
| 12:47 | · | I'm a little hesitant to go that far with it, |
| 12:49 | · | but I can certainly imagine |
| 12:51 | · | that, if you find a burial |
| 12:54 | · | associated with multiple perforated batons, |
| 12:57 | · | well, one that's kind of intriguing. |
| 12:58 | · | To find a group of perforated batons, |
| 13:00 | · | that sort of suggests |
| 13:01 | · | maybe you don't only just use one at a time, |
| 13:04 | · | and it suggests that whatever they're good for |
| 13:10 | · | is something you might wanna have with you |
| 13:12 | · | wherever you're going, right? |
| 13:14 | · | And if you find hunting equipment, |
| 13:15 | · | then maybe, wherever you're going, |
| 13:17 | · | you might need to be hunting, |
| 13:18 | · | or maybe you'll need some rope down the line |
| 13:20 | · | or whatever these tools were used for. |
| 13:23 | · | Maybe if you find equipment for a certain task, |
| 13:27 | · | whether it's rope making, hunting, or something else, |
| 13:29 | · | maybe the person used to do this regularly |
| 13:34 | · | in her or his own life. |
| 13:37 | · | - One interesting question to ponder |
| 13:41 | · | is "what were they using these ropes for?" |
| 13:43 | · | I'm sure, if you are outdoorsy like me... |
| 13:46 | · | I'm basically, pff, Tarzan, basically. |
| 13:51 | · | I only come inside the house to film videos; |
| 13:53 | · | otherwise, I'm just in the woods 24-7, |
| 13:55 | · | (laughs) not really. |
| 13:57 | · | But I'm sure, if you're outdoorsy, |
| 13:59 | · | you can think of 100 reasons why you would need rope. |
| 14:03 | · | - [Narrator of old documentary] More snow is cut to cover the trap. |
| 14:07 | · | - Traps, fishing nets, clothing, shelter, transport, |
| 14:12 | · | having a strong rope could've made their lives easy |
| 14:15 | · | in so many ways. |
| 14:17 | · | One idea I had whilst I was thinking about this |
| 14:19 | · | after I spoke to Nicholas |
| 14:20 | · | was connected to moving food, right. |
| 14:23 | · | The baton from Hohle Fels is made from ivory. |
| 14:26 | · | These people are living in the ice age. |
| 14:29 | · | There's mammoths around. |
| 14:30 | · | There's woolly rhinos around. |
| 14:32 | · | They are killing, hunting, eating these huge animals. |
| 14:36 | · | How do you get that much food home? |
| 14:38 | · | Let's say you've killed a mammoth a mile from your house. |
| 14:42 | · | Are you gonna go back to that one spot to get food |
| 14:45 | · | every time you need it? |
| 14:46 | · | You're probably not. |
| 14:48 | · | You're probably gonna butcher it |
| 14:49 | · | and move it closer to where you're staying. |
| 14:51 | · | So I had a little Google search |
| 14:54 | · | for modern hunting groups |
| 14:58 | · | that were still catching huge animals, right? |
| 15:02 | · | And I came across this super-interesting picture, |
| 15:06 | · | from the turn of the last century, |
| 15:08 | · | of family of Inuit people moving a walrus |
| 15:12 | · | probably in a relatively similar environment |
| 15:17 | · | to how the people in Hohle Fels were living, |
| 15:19 | · | very cold dry landscape. |
| 15:21 | · | Obviously, in Germany, |
| 15:22 | · | they're not living close to sea ice, |
| 15:25 | · | but still, moving this walrus |
| 15:28 | · | is clearly a whole-family affair, |
| 15:30 | · | dragging it, using these ropes, back to their village. |
| 15:34 | · | I can't help but imagine: |
| 15:35 | · | were Paleolithic people doing something similar |
| 15:37 | · | when they hunted a mammoth, a rhino, a reindeer? |
| 15:42 | · | You've gotta get it home somehow. These are big animals. |
| 15:44 | · | Maybe they didn't drag an entire mammoth, obviously. |
| 15:47 | · | But can one person pick up |
| 15:50 | · | a mammoth's leg, an elephant's leg, |
| 15:52 | · | and carry it a mile or so, couple of miles? |
| 15:55 | · | Probably not. I think not. |
| 15:58 | · | (laughs) I don't think I could. |
| 16:00 | · | I think I'd much rather tie a rope around it |
| 16:02 | · | and get my kids to help drag it. |
| 16:05 | · | I dunno. I dunno. |
| 16:06 | · | It's just an idea. |
| 16:07 | · | I have no way of proving it. |
| 16:08 | · | These are just hypotheses, right? |
| 16:12 | · | It's very difficult |
| 16:13 | · | to rewind the clock 35,000 years |
| 16:15 | · | and speak with confidence |
| 16:17 | · | about anything that was happening, |
| 16:21 | · | but if people (nascent music) |
| 16:23 | · | in Paleolithic Europe |
| 16:25 | · | needed a strong rope |
| 16:27 | · | and they needed a tool to help them make a strong rope, |
| 16:30 | · | this perforated baton from Hohle Fels |
| 16:34 | · | would be an excellent tool to do that. |
| 16:35 | · | And probably, other perforated batons found across Europe |
| 16:39 | · | would also be an excellent tool. |
| 16:42 | · | You know, considering the length |
| 16:44 | · | of time that they were used for, tens of thousands of years, |
| 16:48 | · | if they had a specific ritual function |
| 16:51 | · | that would be a long time to perpetuate a specific ritual. |
| 16:56 | · | You know, it seems more likely |
| 16:59 | · | that it would have a practical purpose. |
| 17:00 | · | But who knows? Who knows? |
| 17:02 | · | It was a very long time ago, (breathe in of contemplation) |
| 17:04 | · | and humans are exceptionally creative. |
| 17:07 | · | I'm sure, if we could rewind the clock, |
| 17:10 | · | we'd be absolutely amazed |
| 17:11 | · | at what people in the Paleolithic were up to. |
| 17:14 | · | - I always think of this quote |
| 17:15 | · | from John Shea at Stony Brook. |
| 17:18 | · | He always said, |
| 17:19 | · | "The easiest way to be wrong about our Paleolithic ancestors |
| 17:23 | · | is to underestimate them." |
| 17:27 | · | - Hey, everyone, thanks for watching. |
| 17:29 | · | Hope you found it interesting. |
| 17:30 | · | Huge shout out to Nicholas for taking part and his time. |
| 17:34 | · | I just wanted to point out |
| 17:36 | · | I am aware of the contradiction, in my last video, I argue |
| 17:39 | · | in favor of a Neanderthal ritual site |
| 17:41 | · | and, this time, I argue against ritual |
| 17:44 | · | and favor a practical interpretation. |
| 17:46 | · | It's the dichotomy of man. |
| 17:48 | · | I can't help it. |
| 17:49 | · | Sometimes, we make a cheese sandwich. |
| 17:51 | · | Sometimes, we build the Taj Mahal. |
| 17:53 | · | It's just our biggest contradiction. I can't help it. |
