Experimentation reveals ancient mammoth ivory baton used for rope-making

Finally, after decades of speculation and experimentation, researchers have identified, reconstructed and successfully made rope using an ancient technology. In 2015, excavations at Hohle Fels Cave in the Ach Valley (Swabian Jura, southwestern Germany) recovered a total of 15 pieces of worked mammoth ivory. The individual pieces could be refitted and revealed a relatively well-preserved and nearly complete ivory baton perforated with four holes surrounded by precisely carved spiral grooves. The artefact is 20.4cm (~8 inches) long and 3.6cm (~1.4 inches) wide. While the artefact itself could not be dated (as this would have resulted in damage to the baton to extract a sample), the layer in which it was found was radiocarbon-dated. The results indicate the baton was likely over 35,000 years old. Of course, researchers had to consider that ancient humans and cave bears that regularly used the cave may have shifted the sediment and thus modified the deposits, potentially skewing the dating results. However, it can be determined that the baton is likely older than 35,000 years but not much older than 40,000 years based on dates retrieved from the sediment layer it was found in and the sediment layer surrounding it. <a href="https://medium.com/@sandeeoster17/experimentation-reveals-ancient-mammoth-ivory-baton-used-for-rope-making-8c839295539c">Click Here</a>