Archeologists discover ‘last necklace made by Neanderthals’ in Spain

Juan Ignacio Morales, a researcher at the University of Barcelona and one of the study authors, added the use of eagle claws as ornaments “could have been a cultural transmission from the Neanderthals to modern humans, who adopted this practice after reaching Europe”.

Claw bones from birds of prey have been unearthed at various Neanderthal sites over the years.

But the oldest ones, found in Croatia, could be date as much as 130,000 years ago, predating the arrival of modern humans.

The Croatia talons are now regarded as the earliest known symbolic Neanderthal artefact.