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Imported Paleolithic Tools in Spain May Reflect Long-Distance Social Networks
Archaeology Magazine ^ | January 26, 2026 | editors / unattributed

Posted on 01/28/2026 6:51:22 PM PST by SunkenCiv

Science Magazine reports that five stone blades made from chert outcrops in central France have been found more than 400 miles away in central Spain by Manuel Alcaraz-Castaño of the University of Alcalá and his colleagues. The team members unearthed the yellowish tools at the Peña Capón rock shelter near the Sorbe River, where people fished for salmon and hunted deer, horses, and rabbits between 26,000 and 22,000 years ago. Dating of charcoal and animal bone in the several layers where the chert tools were recovered indicates that the materials were imported for a period of about 1,400 years. "Their presence some 700 kilometers [435 miles] from their source [shows] these societies had a more complex social structure than previously assumed, one that connected diverse groups across very broad territories," said Alcaraz-Castaño. The long-distance trade likely involved more than two bands of people, he explained, and may reflect shared identity and belief systems. Contact between these groups probably also facilitated sharing knowledge about the land, animal migration patterns, and potential mates, especially during periods of challenging climate conditions. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Science Advances. To read about hunter-gatherers in southern Africa who ventured long distances to procure colorful chert to make tools, go to "Source Material."

(Excerpt) Read more at archaeology.org ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: godsgravesglyphs; paleolithic; tools

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Chert artifacts
Marta Sánchez de la Torre, Don Hitchcock, and Thierry Aubry
Marta Sánchez de la Torre, Don Hitchcock, and Thierry Aubry

1 posted on 01/28/2026 6:51:22 PM PST by SunkenCiv
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

2 posted on 01/28/2026 6:51:55 PM PST by SunkenCiv (NeverTrumpin' -- it's not just for DNC shills anymore -- oh, wait, yeah it is.)
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To: SunkenCiv

It is believed that these ancients in France also imported tools from China.
But due to quality issues no specimens have been found.


3 posted on 01/28/2026 7:35:30 PM PST by TigersEye (The Democrat/leftist strategy is "maximum chaos until collapse is acheived.")
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To: SunkenCiv

Seems people got along pretty well.


4 posted on 01/28/2026 8:19:10 PM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: All

The social network paleoinstagram kept them connected and informed.


5 posted on 01/28/2026 8:54:22 PM PST by BipolarBob (These violent delights have violent ends.)
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To: BenLurkin

Raiding, pillaging, rape, and killing each other.

Was the norm.

Could have easily move goods as normal trade.


6 posted on 01/29/2026 4:48:17 AM PST by riverrunner
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