Abric Pizarro is among the few known sites that date back to the MIS 4 period, roughly 100,000 to 65,000 years ago. Archaeologists have uncovered hundreds of thousands of artefacts, including stone tools and animal bones, which offer significant new data on Neanderthal life during a largely unknown era of human history.
The research highlights that Neanderthals were not just primitive beings but were highly adaptable to their environment. This challenges their stereotype as slow-moving cavemen and provides new understanding of their survival and hunting capabilities.
"Our surprising findings at Abric Pizarro show how adaptable Neanderthals were," said Dr. Sofia Samper Carro, an ANU archaeologist and lead author of the study. "The animal bones we have recovered indicate that they were successfully exploiting the surrounding fauna, hunting red deer, horses, and bison, but also eating freshwater turtles and rabbits, which imply a degree of planning rarely considered for Neanderthals."
The discoveries challenge the prevailing view that Neanderthals primarily hunted large animals. Dr. Samper Carro explained, "Through the bones that we are finding, which display cut marks, we have direct proof that Neanderthals were capable of hunting small animals."
"The bones on this site are very well preserved, and we can see marks of how Neanderthals processed and butchered these animals," she added.
The variety of stone tools found at Abric Pizarro reflects the Neanderthals' ability to make use of the resources available to them.
Understanding this transitional period is key to unraveling the mystery of Neanderthal extinction. The data gathered from sites like Abric Pizarro, which dates to a time before modern humans arrived in the area, indicates that Neanderthals were thriving in Europe long before their disappearance.
"The unique site at Abric Pizarro gives a glimpse of Neanderthal behaviour in a landscape they had been roaming for hundreds of thousands of years," Dr. Samper Carro noted. "Neanderthals disappeared around 40,000 years ago. Suddenly, we modern humans appear in this region of the Pyrenees, and the Neanderthals disappear. But before that, Neanderthals had been living in Europe for almost 300,000 years. They clearly knew what they were doing. They knew the area and how to survive for a long time."
"This is one of the most interesting things about this site, to have this unique information about when Neanderthals were alone and living in harsh conditions and how they thrived before modern humans appeared," she said.
The research underscores the importance of modern excavation techniques. "We 3D plot every single remain found larger than one to two centimetres. This makes our work slow, and we have been excavating some of these sites for over 20 years, but it turns into a uniquely precise recording of the sites," Dr. Samper Carro said.
"We are interested in how the different data relates to each other, from stone tools to bones and hearths. This more thorough excavation gives archaeologists information on how Neanderthals lived and how long they were in an area. It's not only the individual materials that give us clues, but also where exactly they are found in relation to other materials on the site that helps us understand how and when Neanderthals were visiting these sites. Were they settled there or just passing through?"
The study also involved researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (CEPAP-UAB). The work in the Catalan Pre-Pyrenees is supported by The Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Culture Department of the Catalan Government.
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