Reply to Schmidt et al.: Interpretation of Paleolithic adhesive production: Combining experimental and paleoenvironmental information.

We agree with Schmidt et al. (1) that simple tar manufacturing processes exist. Tar could have been (re)discovered accidentally (2), and we do not exclude the use of condensation (3) by Neandertals. However, we think it is not the most parsimonious interpretation of all tar finds. Based on (regional) archeological and paleoenvironmental data, we suggest more efficient methods of tar production were used in the Zandmotor case (4). We will further address our reasoning. Schmidt et al. (1) suggest that simultaneously repeating the condensation process reduces the production time, yet this can also be done with distillation methods. Having more people work simultaneously requires the same number of man-hours and … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: p.r.b.kozowyk{at}arch.leidenuniv.nl, g.langejans{at}tudelft.nl, g.l.dusseldorp{at}arch.leidenuniv.nl, or marcelniekus{at}gmail.com. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1