2023-10-25 07:55:59
Updated Wednesday, October 25, 2023 – 07:55
Primitive men made it their home for dozens of decades in spring, summer and autumn.
Recreation of a Neanderthal with a freshly hunted prey. CREDIT
A study of the animal remains found in the Prado Vargas cave of the karstic complex of Ojo Guarea (Merindad de Sotoscueva, Burgos)one of the largest in Europe, has allowed us to determine that the Neanderthals used the cave as a “restaurant”, with deer, chamois and bison as the menu of the day, during the spring, summer and autumn months in which they turned it into their home for dozens of decades 46,000 years ago.
The excavation team, which has been working at this Burgos site since 2016, has just published an article in the international journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences about the diet and periods of occupation of the cavity, which is part of the BIC and of Ojo Guarea Natural Monument.
The taxonomic study of the remains has made it possible to identify the animals that lived alongside the Neanderthals, 46,000 years ago, among which deer, goats, horses, bison, wild boars, lions, wolves and cave bears stood out, and of which they fed, the researchers reported in a press release this Tuesday.
The scientific article that has just been published has been headed by the predoctoral researcher at the University of Burgos Hector de la Fuente and has consisted of analyzing more than six thousand animal remains and teeth, mostly from the excavation campaigns that have been systematically carried out since 2016 at level 4 of this site.
The study of the remains has allowed us to demonstrate that Neanderthals were the first accumulator agent in Prado Vargas, they hunted mainly deer, mountain goats, chamois and horses, and to a lesser extent bison and wild boar, and they took their limbs to the cave, where they were They have found mainly fragments of femurs, tibias, rays and methopods.
The intentional selection of these anatomical parts is related by their inutritional needsmaterialized both by the consumption of its meat and by the consumption of the marrow inside its bones, an easy way to obtain fats mainly and to a lesser extent proteins.
Analysis of cut and percussion marks on the bones has shown that Neanderthals They systematically exploited all animal remains which they took to the Prado Vargas cave, both to obtain food through the processing of their meat, muscle packages and marrow, and to use their skins and tendons to make clothing and ropes.
Likewise, they used numerous bone fragments of the extremities as retouchers, with which they hit the edges of the stone tools to modify their edges, and also as fuel given the evidence of use and control of fire, with burned fragments, which also shows an intense and recurrent use of the cave.
Finally, the analysis of the microwear and dental eruption of the animal remains has served to confirm that the Neanderthals settled in the Prado Vargas cave repeatedly and for a long time at various times, so that they used it as a long term camp for several generations from spring to late autumn.
The research team is co-led by Marta Navazo Ruiz (tenured professor of Prehistory at the University of Burgos), Rodrigo Alonso Mayor (coordinator of the Museum of Human Evolution and Associate Professor of Prehistory at the UBU) and Alfonso Benito Calvo (researcher at the National Center on Human Evolution).
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