Neanderthals had comfortable rooms and bathtubs, suggests latest discovery

Who doesn't love a hot bath after a tiring day? We do, and so did the Neanderthals. A team of archaeologists discovered the remains of a hole in Spain which was used by the Neanderthals as an option to heat water.

According to the researchers at the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution, Neanderthals lived in caves that were equipped with a facility for hot water and also had a comfortable room to sleep in. The discovery made by the archaeologists was a result of an excavation within an excavation in Catalonia, Spain.

The researchers believe that the hole that they stumbled upon during the excavation is nearly 60,000 years old and measures around 16x12x4 inches. The hole was found near a wall in the cave and had hearths on all its sides.

The excavation made by the research team primarily focused on the archaeological assemblage from unit Qa. According to the press release by the institute, the deposit in the cave is very thin with rich archaeological material, which suggests that Neanderthals had an intense occupation. The institute further believes that the intense occupation developed because of the domestic activities that the Neanderthals carried out during their stay at the strategic place.

An analysis of the material present around the hole revealed that it was enclosed of hearths, limestones and speleothemes. It is believed that that the Neanderthals used to burn the rocks and put it in the small bath tub, which was then used by them to take an occasional hot bath.

In addition to the hole where the Neanderthals used to heat water, the researchers discovered an area where they probably used to sleep. Although the area had no bedding of any sort, the researchers say that it was likely to be used as a sleeping area since there was almost no debris and fewer artefacts.

According to the research team, their recent discovery revealed that Neanderthals "realized their subsistence activities around the hearths near the wall of the shelter, how have been already observed in other archaeological levels."

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