ZWOLEN, POLAND—Science in Poland reports that archaeologists have uncovered a site in the Mazovia region that they believe served as a Neanderthal tool workshop around 70,000 years ago. The site of Zwolen was first discovered in the 1980s but has recently been the focus of a new investigation led by the State Archaeological Museum, the University of Warsaw, and the University of Wroclaw. Over the past two years, the team has uncovered bones and teeth belonging to mammoths, horses, and hippos, as well as hundreds of fragments of Neanderthal flint tools. Researchers have identified these as pieces of knives and scrapers that were used to butcher, skin, and process animal carcasses. Analysis of the abundant flint flakes led experts to conclude that finished tools were frequently brought to the site to undergo sharpening, repair, and refurbishment. Zwolen is the northernmost Neanderthal site in Poland and stands out for its open-air nature, as most evidence of Neanderthal activity survives only in cave environments. “Neanderthal finds are rare,” said University of Warsaw’s Katarzyna Pyzewicz. “Whatever happens in this area, has great value and provides new data. These sites are often hidden a few meters below the surface, so it is difficult to find them.” For more on Neanderthals in Poland, go to "Around the World: Poland."
