When Neanderthals in Italy were crossing the Alps, it’s likely they took refuge in high-altitude bear caves. A new study of stone tools in Caverna Generosa, a cave sitting 1,450 meters up in the mountains, found that these travelers also brought a toolkit with them.

Over the years, hundreds of bear skeletons have been discovered inside the cave. But among the animal teeth, bones, and other remains, 16 stone tools were also recovered. In this latest research, published in the Journal of Quaternary Science, scientists performed a detailed analysis of these artifacts to find how and why they were used so far up the mountain.

Prehistoric backpackers

oThe first discovery was that the tools weren’t made in the cave, as no flakes or chips were left behind from carving them. This means Neanderthals brought the objects with them. But where did they come from? The team analyzed the chemical makeup of the stones and compared them to local rocks. They found that the tools were made of high-quality flint and radiolarite sourced from a few kilometers away and much lower down the mountain.