Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Het Stenen Tijdperk, Wezep, The Netherlands.
Sci Rep. 2017 Aug 31;7(1):8033. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-08106-7.
The destructive distillation of birch bark to produce tar has recently featured in debates about the technological and cognitive abilities of Neandertals and modern humans. The abilities to precisely control fire temperatures and to manipulate adhesive properties are believed to require advanced mental traits. However, the significance given to adhesive technology in these debates has quickly outgrown our understanding of birch bark tar and its manufacture using aceramic techniques. In this paper, we detail three experimental methods of Palaeolithic tar production ranging from simple to complex. We recorded the fuel, time, materials, temperatures, and tar yield for each method and compared them with the tar known from the Palaeolithic. Our results indicate that it is possible to obtain useful amounts of tar by combining materials and technology already in use by Neandertals. A ceramic container is not required, and temperature control need not be as precise as previously thought. However, Neandertals must have been able to recognize certain material properties, such as adhesive tack and viscosity. In this way, they could develop the technology from producing small traces of tar on partially burned bark to techniques capable of manufacturing quantities of tar equal to those found in the Middle Palaeolithic archaeological record.
桦树皮的干馏生产焦油，这一技术最近在尼安德特人和现代人的技术和认知能力的争论中出现。精确控制火温以及操纵粘性属性的能力被认为需要先进的心理特征。然而，在这些争论中，对粘性技术的重视已经迅速超出了我们对桦树皮焦油及其使用无陶瓷技术制造的理解。在本文中，我们详细介绍了三种从简单到复杂的旧石器时代焦油生产的实验方法。我们记录了每种方法的燃料、时间、材料、温度和焦油产量，并将其与旧石器时代的焦油进行了比较。我们的结果表明，通过结合尼安德特人已经使用的材料和技术，有可能获得有用数量的焦油。不需要陶瓷容器，而且温度控制不需要像以前认为的那样精确。然而，尼安德特人必须能够识别某些材料特性，例如粘性和粘度。通过这种方式，他们可以将技术从部分燃烧的桦树皮上产生少量焦油发展到能够制造与中石器时代考古记录中发现的焦油等量的技术。
