Surprise as 40,000-year-old hearth discovered in archaeological site

An archaeological excavation campaign in Moià has surprisingly led to the discovery of a hearth dating back to between 38,000-40,000 years old.

The dig in the Coves del Toll and de les Teixoneres is reaching its final stretch after almost a month of work, ending this Wednesday.

Lead researcher Jordi Rosell explained to Catalan News Agency (ACN) that this year's campaign has been "transitional," and he expects 2026 to be "prolific".

The ancient hearth was likely used by "the last Neanderthals" in the area. "We didn't expect it," Rosell says of the find.

It is known that Neanderthals were in Europe at the time of the hearth being used, but were close to extinction. Yet, "in the Moianès county, we still have evidence that they lasted a few thousand more years," he points out.

During last year's campaign, an "unusual faunal accumulation" was found in an area up to 230,000-years-old. Remains of very large animals were found, including rhinoceroses, horses, deer, and aurochs, as well as evidence of cave use.

This year, a nearby area has been lowered to the stratum where these animals were discovered and has been prepared for next year's campaign, making researchers optimistic for a "very prolific" campaign next year. The researchers already think that what could be a piece of a jaw of a large animal can already be seen.

These findings show that the area was used by humans up to 230,000 years ago, and more recent findings placing the area as being used as recently as 35,000 years ago. "It could be stated that the Teixoneres cave contains practically the entire history of the Neanderthals of Moianès," Rosell highlighted.

"This gives us many advantages in terms of being able to study not only how they moved, but also how their behavior evolved, but also how the landscape is changing, and how behavioral changes are related to changes in the landscape or climate," he added.

Jordi Rosell defends that it is important to know how the Neanderthals lived and what they were like "because they are still our cousins and are part of our origin."

"As Homo Sapiens, we have always thought that we are the end of an evolution and we think that everything ends here," Rosell also pondered.

He says this also invites us to reflect on the fact that if Neanderthals had a larger brain than that of Homo Sapiens, and mastered a technology "almost as sophisticated" as ours, then "why did they disappear and not us?"