Two stalagmite structures discovered in a French cave in 1990 are now thought to be the work of Neanderthals. Scientists who have been working on uncovering the mystery behind this find have stated in their report that the age of the structures is around 176,000 years, meaning it could only have been built by Neanderthal.
According to Nature, the structures were found 336 meters inside the cave and are made from stalagmites, which are rock formations made by the constant dripping of water onto the floors of caves over a long period of time. These appear to have been cut to roughly the same length and arranged into two oval-shaped structures of different sizes.
They were discovered by accident in 1990 by spelunkers in a cave at Bruniquel in the southwest of France near Toulouse. The cave had remained largely undisturbed because it had been almost completely obscured due to a landslide. Research into the find had been delayed by the death of the lead archaeologist, F. Rouzaud, till the current team, led by Jacques Jaubert from the University of Bordeaux, started their work on it in 2013.
The determination of the age of the structure has been important in reaching the conclusion that it must have been built by the Neanderthals, as humans made their appearance on earth about 100,000 years after its construction. Neanderthals are believed to have been clever beings, who had a knowledge of fire. But whether they possessed the kind of social organization and architectural skills needed to construct a complex structure such as the one in the Bruniquel cave, is a matter for much discussion and debate.
There have been varying opinions from scientists and others regarding the motive behind building the structures in question, as reported by the National Geographic. Some think that it may have been for some kind of social ritual, while others feel it is too soon to state anything specific as no one knows how many persons were involved in the construction, or whether it had been the result of one or several events. This speculation will only act as encouragement to find out more about the creators of mysterious structures that once occupied the French cave.
