Eagle talons that obviously were worked by human hands into a piece of jewelry have been discovered at the Krapina Neanderthal site in Croatia. The necklace is 130,000 years old. The discovery was reported by David Frayer from University of Kansas and colleagues from the Croatian Natural History Museum and the Croatian Academy of Science and Arts.
The jewelry was actually found about 100 years ago. The researchers examined the eagle talons with more sophisticated equipment and found that the eagle talons had been worked into either a necklace or a bracelet by Neanderthals. No modern man lived in the area during the time the piece was created.
Some of the eagle talons have cut marks where the edges were smoothed. Most of the eagle talons have notches on the same surface indicating that the talons were connected together probably with vines or reeds. The microscopic evidence that these objects were worked by a person for a purpose is indisputable.
Prior to this discovery most anthropologist considered that Neanderthals did not have the mental capacity to create objects that had a symbolic purpose. The new examination indicates Neanderthals had more of what is considered an attribute of modern man’s mentality than previously thought. The object could be decorative. The eagle talon bracelet could be a status symbol worn by the best hunter in the group. The necklace might be the ornamentation that designated a given individual as the tribal leader or spiritual leader.
