Neanderthal cooking secrets revealed by science

More complex cognitive abilities than one might imagine, more elaborate cultural and symbolic practices, and more diverse relationships with their cousins. rational human…the most complex aspects of Neanderthals (Neanderthal man) are being gradually revealed as studies on these fascinating species progress. The most recent, published in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology July 24, 2024 provides new evidence on how to prepare and cook their food, especially birds, through practical experiments.

lion hunters and bird gatherers

For more than 200,000 years and across a wide variety of environments, Neanderthals were skilled hunters. Cut marks on bones from the Middle Paleolithic suggest that they butchered cave lions (Tiger Spilia), the great predators of the time. However, scientists have focused much less on the consumption of small prey, such as birds, which leave behind few archaeological traces.

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Despite, “Birds provide a supplementary food resource that may have played a key role in Neanderthal adaptation and survival.”To learn more about early humans' cutting and cooking methods, they conducted a series of experiments on crows (crow), wooden pigeons (Columba Palumbus) and the Turkish bath (Streptopelia dicaocto) From a wildlife reserve in Portugal, died in natural conditions. The species selected for their taxonomic classifications are similar to those likely to be hunted in the Iberian Peninsula.

Challenges of flint tools (effective).

Five specimens were hand-picked. Two were rough-cut, using replicas of flint flakes – techniques derived from archaeological evidence and ethnographic data. The bones were then cleaned and dried for examination under a microscope. Experts looked for distinctive cut marks, bills or burns. Small, half-moon-shaped “scars” were noted on the edges of the rock fragments used.

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Through these gestures, the study authors were able to shed light on the real challenges Neanderthals faced in their daily food preparation. “Using a piece of flint on the skin requires a great deal of precision and effort., The co-author of the article develops Mariana Nabes, Catalan Institute of Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES, Spain). The splinters were sharper than we initially thought, and required careful handling to make precise cuts without injuring our fingers.”

Prehistoric Cooking Secrets

The other three birds in the study were roasted whole over hot coals at 500 degrees Celsius: four minutes on their bellies, three minutes on their backs. The “primitive trainees” took great care to maintain a constant temperature and monitor the cooking time. They did a good job, because the process was faster than he had previously anticipated. “In the end, we spent more time preparing the coals than the actual cooking, which took less than ten minutes.”The specialist adds.

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If this was the technique Neanderthals used thousands of years ago, there are not many traces of it left now. Analysis of burnt bones from cooked specimens has shown that they became very brittle with roasting. And thus vulnerable to loss over time. “Such observations suggest that cooking methods significantly influence the preservation of skeletal remains in archaeological contexts, which may affect the archaeological view of some cooking practices.”the researchers conclude.

However, they make clear that this is just a pilot study at the moment, with a very small sample. It is likely that distant Neanderthals consumed a more diverse array of birds than the three birds tested here. Although “strict control of experimental conditions”It is clear that it is impossible today to reproduce completely. “The micro-environmental and cultural contexts of Neanderthal life”, Which, however, reveals itself little by little.

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The scientists are therefore calling for further research, expanding the experiments to include more types of small prey and different cooking methods. The goal will be to eventually be able to provide a reference base for the distinctive marks, in order to help archaeologists better analyze the artifacts, by comparing their observations with those already made.