,

A recent article by Hoffman et al. (2018) claimed that this painting is of Neanderthal origin. However, only the lines in red can be assigned to Neanderthals with certainty. The figures of the animals remain undated.

Datings of the La Pasiega cave paintings from Cantabria

Red line – around 50 Ka (Hoffman et al. 2018)

Dots – varying from 2 to 12 Ka (Pearce & Bonneau 2018)

Figures – not dated

The Symbolic Species?A. M. Andirkó1, S. Sturm4, T. O'Rourke1,2, P. T. Martins1,2, C. Boeckx1,2,3

1 Universitat de Barcelona, 2 Institute of Complex Systems, UBICS, 3 ICREA, 4 Universitat Pompeu Fabra

v

Hand stencilDrawings of figures

· The term symbolic behaviour does not map to some of the material record gaps. · The material record should be interpreted according to the specific mental capacities linked to each case. · There was no "Great (Symbolic) Leap Forward", but gradual, smaller steps in cognitive evolution.· We have to dissect the evidence, looking for traces of aspects of cognitive evolution.

Several medium-sized steps & cognitive building

blocks

· Does the idea of symbolic behaviour explain the evolution of language? · Does this hypothesis link to the archaeological record?· It is more likely that symbolic behaviour is a cluster of different capacities which evolved one by one and at different points in time: → There is evidence of individual aspects of “symbolic behaviour” in the archaeological record→ We can also find some of these behaviours in other species

An alternative view

· The key to complex human cognition was the evolution of "symbolic behaviour"· Symbolic behaviour is fundamental to language, art, culture, etc. · Humans are the "symbolic species" (Deacon 1998)· The evolution of symbolic behaviour was a single point event in the history of our species

· Analyse the archaeological record and link it to different cognitive capacities· Search for aspects of these capacites in other species; understand their genetic basis · Model the effect of different changes in the genetic code, social structures, environmental factors on the emergence of symbol use (agent-based model)

Our methods

SYMBOLIC THRESLHOLD?IT DOESN'T EXPLAIN THE COMPLEXITY OF THESE

DIFFERENCES!

But rather....

The "Great Leap Forward" Hypothesis

adapted from Deacon (1998)

References

d’Errico, F., Banks, W. E., Warren, D. L., Sgubin, G., Niekerk, K. van, Henshilwood, C., … Goñi, M. F. S. (2017). Identifying early modern human ecological niche expansions and associated cultural dynamics in the South African Middle Stone Age. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 201620752. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1620752114

Deacon, T. W. (1998). The Symbolic Species: The Co-evolution of Language and the Brain. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

Hoffmann, D. L., Angelucci, D. E., Villaverde, V., Zapata, J., & Zilhão, J. (2018). Symbolic use of marine shells and mineral pigments by Iberian Neandertals 115,000 years ago. Science Advances, 4(2), eaar5255. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aar5255

Hoffmann, D. L., Standish, C. D., García-Diez, M., Pettitt, P. B., Milton, J. A., Zilhão, J., … Pike, A. W. G. (2018). U-Th dating of carbonate crusts reveals Neandertal origin of Iberian cave art. Science (New York, N.Y.), 359(6378), 912–915. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aap7778

Pearce, D. G., & Bonneau, A. (2018). Trouble on the dating scene. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2(6), 925–926. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0540-4

Simple objects as tools

Advanced toolsIncreased complexity

Neanderthal "hashtag"

Complex numerical abilities

cedric.boeckx@ub.edu

Neanderthal vs. SapiensThe traditional view

Various cognitive/behavioural changes in Sapiens

Improved motor

abilities

Numerical cognition

Capacity for figurative drawing