New evidence continues to build a case that Neanderthals utilized medicinal flora to treat ailments and injuries. Regarding the application of natural resins, Tjaarkas Siemssenas from the University of Oxford notes that bark tar has been documented at Neanderthal sites across Europe dating back to the late Pleistocene. Siemssenas says that one primary function of the substance was clearly its use as an adhesive, citing its application for attaching sharp stone tips to wooden arrows.
However, he suggests that this adhesive role may not represent the entirety of how the material was employed. Siemssenas points to parallels in modern indigenous practices to suggest potential medicinal uses. In several contemporary communities, birch tar is utilized as a healing ointment.
For instance, the Mikmak tribe of Eastern Canada uses it, calling it “maskwio’mi,” where it functions as a broad-spectrum antibiotic. These comparisons suggest a potential pattern of knowledge transfer regarding natural remedies. While the archaeological record provides concrete evidence of how Neanderthals used materials like tar, the parallels with modern healing traditions broaden the scope of potential treatments.
The continued study of these ancient materials helps scholars understand the sophisticated resourcefulness that Neanderthals used to manage health and survival across their environment.
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