The Zandmotor data do not resolve the question whether Middle Paleolithic birch tar making was complex or not

Abstract

Niekus et al. (1) present a find of Neanderthal birch tar from Zandmotor (The Netherlands), concluding that a cognitively complex underground production method was used. However, Schmidt et al. (2) recently showed that birch tar production can be simple [burning bark near stones: the condensation method (2)]. Two arguments are used by Niekus et al. (1) to claim that the Zandmotor tar was produced with a complex method: The efficiency of simpler techniques was too low, and their tar’s composition indicates a complex technique. As we will argue, these arguments are invalid. Producing 0.6 g of tar took 3 h with the condensation method (2), leading Niekus et al. … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: patrick.schmidt{at}uni-tuebingen.de. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1

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