Humans were making rope nearly 40,000 years agoExperts think this ivory baton was used for rope making around 38,000 years ago.
One artifact, an eight-inch piece of ivory with grooved holes, wasn't easy to identify.
Archaeologists have found similar items, known as batons, in the UK and France.
Made of ivory or antler, they have holes with grooves on the inside, and some have notches.
Based on descriptions of rope-making with similar tools from the Middle Ages, the researchers recreated the process with a replica of the piece of ivory.
Persons:
Nicholas Conard
Organizations:
of Tübingen
Locations:
Germany, France