Homo Erectus And Neanderthals May Have Been The First Humans To Do Math

Humans aren’t the only animals with numerical awareness, although we are alone in our ability to perform symbolic manipulations of numbers. Taking a deep-dive into the evolutionary roots of our arithmetical tendencies, a team of researchers has uncovered strong evidence that extinct human species like Neanderthals and Homo erectus may have been the first mathematicians.

From fish that count and bees that can distinguish between odd and even numbers to crows capable of geometric abstraction, there’s no shortage of data showing that the ability to deal with quantity is an ancient evolutionary trait shared between multiple branches of the tree of life. Yet as the study authors explain, there is a vital distinction between this basic “number sense” and “the symbolic cognitive evolution of mathematical and geometric abilities that emerged during hominin evolution — abilities that indicate activation of the frontal and medial temporal areas, as well as the parietal lobe.”

By examining the available archaeological, neuro-anatomical, and genetic evidence, the researchers attempt to pinpoint the moment in human history at which this unique cognitive capacity first emerged, ultimately reaching an unexpected conclusion.

Although at the beginning of our exploration, I was not expecting to arrive at such a conclusion, now I do believe that numerical thinking evolved in a previous species, most probably in Homo erectus.

Dr Fabio Macciardo

“Although at the beginning of our exploration, I was not expecting to arrive at such a conclusion, now I do believe that numerical thinking evolved in a previous species, most probably in Homo erectus,” study author Dr Fabio Macciardi explained to IFLScience.

The earliest evidence for this appears some 1.7 million years, when a new type of symmetrical, bifacial stone tool called the Acheulean ax entered the fossil record. In their paper, the authors describe how this technology “required an expansion of working memory capacity, allowing for both abstract thinking – necessary for mentally rotating an object – and better retention of information needed for complex cognitive and spatial-motor tasks.”

“This new cognitive, cultural, and technological advancement also necessitated further evolution of the parietal lobe compared to earlier hominins, likely alongside the development of an initial fronto-parietal neural circuit,” they add.

So while we don’t know for sure how Homo erectus conceptualized numbers, it’s clear that the species was capable of complex geometric modeling and possessed the cognitive apparatus necessary for numerical thinking. As Macciardi points out, “the virtually reconstructed brains of H. erectus indicate that they were the first hominins to develop relatively modern frontal and parietal lobes.”

Likewise, Neanderthals may very well have been capable of symbolic numerical thought. Artifactual evidence for this comes from caves in Italy and Bulgaria, where Neanderthals engraved evenly-spaced lines on stone and bone relics some 50,000 to 60,000 years ago.

According to the study authors, these artifacts may represent “Artificial Memory Systems”, a type of “tool that aids in the process of counting and storing numerical information, acting as an external device that enhances cognitive performance.” Though speculative, this interpretation of these prehistoric objects suggests that Neanderthals may well have developed their own technique for symbolically representing numbers.

“The evidence for the use of numbers and more advanced cognitive concepts in Neanderthals is also strong,” says Macciardi. “We have solid information regarding the sequences of their genes – including those related to cognitive traits – that we can compare with our own (aka, H. sapiens) DNA sequence.”

Examples of key genes linked to mathematical ability include ROBO1, which regulates the embryonic growth of the parietal cortex and predates the emergence of modern humans.

“Obviously, genes do not code for cognitive traits, but they represent the necessary biological prerequisites that enable the development of specific brain regions, which in turn allow cognition to take form,” says Macciardi.

The study has been published in the journal l’Anthropologie.