New ANU studies show that Neanderthals from the southern Pyrenees were highly adaptable and talented at hunting, challenging old stereotypes and offering insights into their survival and eventual extinction.
An unexplored region at the foot of the Southern Pyrenees in Spain sheds light on a little-known era of Neanderthal history. New studies from the Australian National University (ANU) suggest this domain may be offering valuable clues to help archaeologists get to the bottom of the mystery of Neanderthal decline.
Abric Pizarro is one of the few sites in the world dating from 100,000 to 65,000 years ago, an era called MIS 4. Researchers have collected thousands of artifacts, adding stone equipment, animal bones and other evidence, offering significant insight into the path of Neanderthals’ lives at the time were largely unknown in human history until now.
The findings reveal that Neanderthals were able to adapt to their environment, challenging archaic humans’ reputation as slow-footed cavemen and losing control of their survival and abilities.
Dr Sofia Samper Carro, lead archaeologist and from the ANU, said the effects show that Neanderthals knew the most productive tactics to exploit dominance and territory and were resilient in the face of harsh climatic conditions.
“Our unexpected discoveries at Abric Pizarro show just how adaptable Neanderthals were. The animal bones we recovered imply that they effectively exploited the surrounding wildlife, hunting deer, horses, and bison, but also feeding freshwater turtles and rabbits, implying a degree of planning that rarely occurs. for Neanderthals,” he said.
According to the researchers, this new wisdom challenges the widespread belief that Neanderthals hunted giant animals, such as horses and rhinos.
“Thanks to the bones we found, which have cut marks, we have direct evidence that Neanderthals were capable of keeping small animals,” said Dr. Samper Carro.
“The bones from this are very well preserved and we can see lines of how Neanderthals treated and slaughtered those animals.
“Our stone artifact research also demonstrates variability in the type of equipment produced, indicating the ability of Neanderthals to exploit the resources available in the region. “
Shedding light on this transitional generation is helping archaeologists get closer to solving a mystery that has plagued researchers for decades: What drove Neanderthals to extinction?
According to researchers, the discovery of sites such as Abric Pizarro, which dates from this explicit and poorly documented period, provides data on how Neanderthals lived when there were still modern humans in the domain and shows that they prospered.
“Abric Pizarro’s exclusive provides insight into the behavior of Neanderthals in a landscape that had been roaming for thousands of years,” said Dr. Samper Carro.
“Neanderthals became extinct about 40,000 years ago. Suddenly we fashionable humans appear in this region of the Pyrenees, and the Neanderthals dissemble. But before that, Neanderthals lived in Europe for almost 300,000 years.
“They obviously knew what they were doing. They had known the domain and how to do it for a long time.
“That’s one of the most appealing things about this site, to have this exclusive information about when Neanderthals were and lived in difficult conditions and how they thrived before modern humans came along. “
Thanks to modern excavation techniques, Abric Pizarro and other nearby Neanderthal sites provide excellent insights into Neanderthal behaviour.
“We hinted at 3D discovered remains that measure more than one or two centimeters. This slows down our work and we’ve been excavating some of those sites for over 20 years, but it makes for an exceptionally accurate record of the sites. “, stated Dr. Samper Carro.
“We are interested in how other knowledge relates to others, from stone equipment to bones to hearths. These deeper excavations give archaeologists data about how Neanderthals lived and how long they stayed in an area.
“It’s not just the individual tissues that give us clues, but also their precise location in relation to other tissues at the site that allows us to perceive how and when Neanderthals visited those sites. Did they settle there or were they just passing through?
The team also included scientists from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (CEPAP-UAB). Research in the Catalan Pre-Pyrenees has the support of the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain and the Department of Culture of the Generalitat of Catalonia.
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