The Neanderthals of Abri Suard used bones as tools
A study led by CENIEH and with the participation of research staff to IPHES-CERCA documents more than 60 bone tools at this French site and reveals a complex technical exploitation of animal remains
The Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH) has led a study published in the journal Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology that documents for the first time the use of bone tools by Neanderthals at the Abri Suard site (Charente, southwestern France). The work, headed by CENIEH researcher Edgar Téllez, has included the participation of different Spanish and French institutions, including the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES-CERCA). In this context, the participation of Dr. Diego López-Onaindia, researcher at IPHES-CERCA and director of the study project of the La Chaise-de-Vouthon sites, and of Dr. Antonio Rodríguez-Hidalgo, from the Instituto de Arqueología-Mérida (CSIC-Junta de Extremadura) and associated researcher at IPHES-CERCA, stands out. Among others, this project has been possible thanks to the collaboration with the Musée d’Angoulême and the support of the Service Régional de l’Archéologie – Nouvelle-Aquitaine (France).
The study has identified at least 62 retouchers and 3 soft hammers made of bone among more than 6,000 faunal remains analyzed, evidencing a complex and planned technical exploitation of animal resources. Retouchers are bone fragments used to sharpen the edges of stone tools, while soft hammers allowed for better control of flake extraction. At Abri Suard, most of these tools show marks compatible with the retouching of flint and quartzite, the most common raw materials at the site.
These tools were mainly manufactured from reindeer and horse bones, and in some cases from woolly rhinoceros bones. Many of them show cut marks and fractures associated with the consumption of meat and marrow, indicating that the animal remains were systematically reused as working instruments.
Rhinoceros bones and horse teeth as tools
Among the most singular findings, the identification of soft hammers made of rhinoceros bones stands out, a taxon very poorly represented in European Paleolithic bone industries. Their presence suggests deliberate technical decisions, taking advantage of the physical properties of these large and dense bones to withstand strong impacts.
Another especially relevant element is a retoucher made from a horse molar, which constitutes one of the oldest known examples of this type of tool to date and which recent experimental studies suggest are very effective supports for flint retouching, something that matches the marks observed on this molar.
The selection of supports for the use of these bones The analysis further shows that the Neanderthals of Abri Suard mostly turned to long bones, phalanges, and calcanei, anatomical elements that offer good mechanical properties and a stable grip during percussion. This selection does not seem random and reinforces the idea of careful and versatile management of available animal resources.
The Abri Suard site is part of the La Chaise-de-Vouthon karstic complex and has been known since the end of the 19th century, when Neanderthal human remains belonging to several adult and juvenile individuals were already identified in its stratigraphic sequence. Until now, the presence of bone tools at Abri Suard lacked a detailed study, so this new work integrates zooarchaeological, taphonomic, and technological data and places the site within the growing group of European Middle Paleolithic enclaves that document an intensive and technically specialized exploitation of bone material by Neanderthals.
Overall, the results suggest that the same animals provided meat, marrow, and supports for the manufacture of stone tools. Far from a purely opportunistic use of remains, the bone industry of Abri Suard reflects planned behaviors and, once again, a notable capacity for technical adaptation in some of the oldest Neanderthal populations in Western Europe.
References
Téllez, E., Rodríguez-Hidalgo, A., Doyon, L. et al. Middle Paleolithic Bone Technology at the Abri Suard Site (Charente, France). J Paleo Arch 9, 17 (2026). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41982-026-00258-1