As we should have
expected, the Neanderthals organized their living environment. Of course,
the only extant remains are those in caves that they utilized. It would be another mistake to presume that
they actually relied on caves alone. Why
should they?
Caves are really
convenient for storing food in a stable temperature environment during the
height of summer. That also makes it a
great place to retire to. Otherwise, any
other time it remains a good storage cache.
What we presently lack
is any indication that the Neanderthals applied tools to make effective
housing. Yet it does not appear unlikely
although past assumptions held otherwise.
They certainly used crafted weapons and surely robust field
shelters. Mud and wattle will do
nicely. Yet tent based societies of
which we have plenty of examples can follow the herds and the seasons much
easier.
More likely we
have just not gotten lucky yet.
Neanderthals
were a house-proud race who liked creature comforts, cave excavations reveal
Our ancestors used a network of small caves for
occasional hunting expeditions before returning to a larger base, which they
called home
Scientists from Oxford University discovered stone
tools and meal left-overs from over 24,000 years ago
By analysing them they discovered how different
caves were used
Scientists think the scarcity of large vertebrate
remains from Gorham Cave show our ancestors were pretty handy at housekeeping
PUBLISHED: 15:41 GMT, 4 July 2013 | UPDATED: 15:41
GMT, 4 July 2013
Our ancestors (like the life-like figure pictured)
used a network of small caves for occasional hunting expeditions before
returning to a larger base, which they called home, new excavations have found
Neanderthals were a house-proud race who liked to
return to a comfortable home after a long day of hunting, excavations of caves
in Gibraltar have revealed.
The new research found that our ancestors
used a network of small caves for occasional hunting expeditions before returning
to a larger base, which they called home.
Scientists from Oxford University and Gibraltar
museum worked together on the dig.
They unearthed stone tools and camp fires featuring
the remains of seals, ibex and red deer, dating back more than 24,000 years.
By analysing the artefacts and the density in which
they were found in each cave, a team of scientists was able to determine which
site was used for what purpose.
Among the tools found were hammers, scrapers and
shucks for opening shellfish, another staple of the Neanderthal diet.
The population would have foraged locally along a
coastal plain, eating a varied diet including wild boar, rabbits, dolphins,
birds, tortoises, fish and pine nuts.
Gibraltar was inhabited by Neanderthals for 100,000
years, with radiocarbon dating suggesting they lived on the Rock possibly as
recently as 24,000 years ago.
The peninsula was the final stronghold of the early
descendants of man and is where one of the first discoveries of Neanderthal
skeletal remains was made in the 19th century.
Gorham's Cave, the largest of those excavated by the
scientists from Gibraltar Museum and Oxford University, was also once home to
hyenas.
An artist's drawing of a 30,000-year-old hyena den.
Archeologists found hammers, scrapers and shucks for opening shellfish at
Gorham's Cave in Gibraltar but did not find large bones, indicating that our
ancestors were good at housekeeping
'Gorham's Cave has a denser, more continuous
sequence of lithic artefacts, with greater organic content in its sediments,
corroborating the notion that the cave was more heavily utilised,' according to
the paper published in the PLoS One journal.
'The paucity of large vertebrate remains from
Gorham's Cave has been interpreted to be a consequence of housekeeping, thus
implying longer-term occupation.
'Gorham's Cave is the largest of the four caves, and
its high ceiling and exposure to sunlight make it the most suitable for
habitation.
Scientists are excited about their findings at Gorham's
Cave. Gibraltar was inhabited by Neanderthals for 100,000 years, with
radiocarbon dating suggesting they lived on the Rock possibly as recently as
24,000 years ago
The paper said: 'The dichotomy in occupation
intensity between Gorham's and the other caves, suggests the southern Iberian
Neanderthals may have practised a mobility pattern in which hominins would
temporarily occupy various sites during the course of foraging, but would
regularly return to a particular hub locality, such as Gorham's.'
Excavations in Vanguard Cave - a sister to Gorham's
Cave - show climatic evidence of alternating periods of drought and heavy
rainfall, according to The
Gibraltar Chronicle.
\
The annual excavation of Gorham's Cave begins next
week.
Further finds could add to the call for a
Neanderthal theme park, which would tell the story of our ancestors' way of
life.
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