Abstract
The destructive distillation of birch bark to produce tar has recently featured in debates about the
technological and cognitive abilities of Neandertals and modern humans. The abilities to precisely
control fire temperatures and to manipulate adhesive properties are believed to require advanced
mental traits. However, the significance given to adhesive technology in these debates has quickly
outgrown our understanding of birch bark tar and its manufacture using aceramic techniques. In this
paper, we detail three experimental methods of Palaeolithic tar production ranging from simple to
complex. We recorded the fuel, time, materials, temperatures, and tar yield for each method and
compared them with the tar known from the Palaeolithic. Our results indicate that it is possible to
obtain useful amounts of tar by combining materials and technology already in use by Neandertals.
A ceramic container is not required, and temperature control need not be as precise as previously
thought. However, Neandertals must have been able to recognize certain material properties, such as
adhesive tack and viscosity. In this way, they could develop the technology from producing small traces
of tar on partially burned bark to techniques capable of manufacturing quantities of tar equal to those
found in the Middle Palaeolithic archaeological record.