P
H D
The power of glue
Paul Kozowyk has expertise on the chemical properties of ancient glue and modern industrial performance tests and is also an archaeologist. He applies this multidisciplinary expertise to his PhD research on Neanderthal adhesives.
“The study of glue helps archaeologists to gain
insight into cognitive abilities and the evolution of technology.”
“Prehistoric recipes for glue – yes, I admit this is not the most obvious research topic. But that is actually one of the reasons I chose to study the very first glues that were ever made. The oldest glue sample dates from 200,000 years ago in the Middle-Palaeolithic in Europe, but the record of finds as old as this one are very rare. For my MSc thesis I worked with Delft University of Technology to carry out modern industrial performance tests on ancient, re-created glues that were used for hafting tools. In my PhD research I expand on this topic. Most of the Palaeolithic adhesives that have been found so far consist of birch bark tar. To produce this tar, a complex procedure is required: the birch bark is heated, but not burned; the heating has to be carried out in an oxygen-reduced environment. The people from the Palaeolithic didn’t have air-tight containers to aid this process. We still don’t know how they did it, but the brainpower needed to make these first glues must have been significant. Another remarkable feature is the mental leap that is required to make glue from birch bark, because it is not naturally sticky and as such does not seem like a logical choice. This is one of the reasons why the study of glue is so interesting: it helps archaeologists to gain insight into cognitive abilities and the evolution of technology.
Paul Kozowyk
Natural glues can be made from other materials as well, including animal bones, tree resins and gums, but we haven’t found those associated with Neanderthals, which might be due to the fact that these glues didn’t preserve well. In my research, I hope to find samples of other adhesives, or to discover whether there is a bias because the preservative qualities of birch bark tar are better than those of other glues. As a next step, I will participate in the excavation at Les Cottés in France, screening finds for traces of glue.”
13