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manganese dioxide cas is an extremely hazardous material that consists of solid particles with a high surface area (>80 m2/g). It can be ignited by contact with flame or hot surfaces and burns vigorously when exposed to air. It is a skin and eye irritant and is toxic if swallowed. It is also a fire and explosion hazard.
The presence of manganese oxides at Pech-de-l’Aze I and in the Chatelperronian layers at Grotte-du-Renne, Arcy-sur-Cure15 and other sites (Table 1 in Supplementary Information 1) suggests that Neanderthals sourced these materials for decorative purposes. However, their apparent preferences for particular black manganese oxides – in particular, pyrolusite and romanechite – imply that they had the capability to recognize and select specific materials with desirable properties for different end-uses.
It is possible that the particular manganese dioxides selected by Neanderthals had a role in promoting fire, as has been suggested by differential thermogravimetric analyses of beech wood and the two black manganese oxides at Pech-de-l’Aze – MD4 and Bloc MD3. In comparison to MD4, both pyrolusite and romanechite significantly reduce the critical temperature for char ignition and increase the rate of char combustion (7 fold and 23 times respectively) (Fig. 4a, b and Table 3 in Supplementary Information 2).
The use of these black materials for decoration may have been important for the cultural and symbolic significance of fire for Neanderthals. The ability to better promote, control and sustain fire would have had significant subsistence benefits as well as a range of potential social implications43.