Do we have enough evidence of Neanderthal leatherworking to replicate the techniques for ourselves?
from JoshuaSlowpoke777@lemmy.world to nostupidquestions@lemmy.ca on 08 Dec 2023 20:16
https://lemmy.world/post/9322093

#nostupidquestions

threaded - newest

deegeese@sopuli.xyz on 08 Dec 2023 21:26 next collapse

I don’t think neanderthals knew how to chemically tan leather.

They had skins from hunting, knives for scraping, and awls for sewing.

CobblerScholar@lemmy.world on 08 Dec 2023 21:41 collapse

The earliest examples of leather tanning come from the middle east in about 7000 BCE where they were using urine, feces and one step shy of basically leaving the skin to rot to do so. I can only imagine a hunter gatherer tribe of neanderthals’ who’s species was all but totally incorporated into homo sapiens or died out 21,000 years before that didn’t have a terribly great handle on leather tanning. My guess is their experience was hide garments were just raw hide that had been perhaps dried over a fire or by the sun and rubbed with a mixture of ash and urine to incidentally tan the hide

gregorum@lemm.ee on 08 Dec 2023 22:16 collapse

I bet they smelled great!

CobblerScholar@lemmy.world on 09 Dec 2023 17:34 collapse

Ever been to a modern tannery? We aren’t using bathroom leftovers anymore but it’s still no perfume in there