Paris: A groundbreaking study has revealed that humans living along the Atlantic coast of present-day France and Spain used whale bones to craft tools as far back as 20,000 years ago. Published in Nature Communications, the research presents the oldest known evidence of whalebone tool use in Europe.
An international team from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, CNRS, and the University of British Columbia analyzed 83 tools from 26 archaeological sites and 90 bone fragments from Santa Catalina Cave in northern Spain. Using radiocarbon dating and collagen fingerprinting, the team confirmed the bones belonged to five whale species, including sperm and fin whales.
Most of the tools were used for hunting large land animals such as bison and reindeer. The bones were likely scavenged from beached whales, as active whale hunting would have been impossible with the technology of the Late Pleistocene.
Some bone fragments measuring over 15 inches showed clear signs of shaping and use. In Santa Catalina Cave, researchers found evidence that bones had been crushed to extract oil, a vital nutrient during glacial winters.
This discovery challenges previous assumptions that Paleolithic Europeans were entirely land-focused. It shows they regularly visited coastal areas and utilized marine resources when available.
The findings also offer rare insights into Ice Age whale behavior and ecology, suggesting shifts in species distribution over millennia. As sea levels were drastically lower during that period, many such coastal sites are now underwater, making these preserved finds especially significant for understanding human evolution and survival strategies.
