A groundbreaking study of a rare rock shelter in the Spanish Pyrenees has unveiled astonishing new insights into how Neanderthals lived before the arrival of Homo sapiens in Western Europe.
Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) assert that Neanderthals exhibited an extraordinary level of flexibility and adaptability—traits that scientists have often dismissed as dull and unremarkable.
This conclusion emerged as the team examined numerous animal bones and stone tools found in the Neanderthal den. The site, known as Abric Pisarro, is one of the few Neanderthal locations dated to Marine Isotope Stage 4 (MIS 4), which lasted from 100,000 to 65,000 years ago—well before modern humans reached the Iberian Peninsula.
According to lead researcher Sofia Samper Carro, the most intriguing finding is how Neanderthals thrived prior to the emergence of modern humans.
The researchers explained that the Pyrenees region was previously considered unsuitable for stable and permanent Neanderthal habitation during MIS 4 due to millennial-scale climate shifts that would have led to extremely dry conditions with drastic temperature fluctuations. However, discoveries at Abric Pisarro paint a completely different picture: the ingenuity of Neanderthals allowed them to flourish long before Homo sapiens arrived.
How Did Neanderthals Demonstrate Intelligence and Ingenuity?
For instance, since most later Neanderthal sites primarily contain bones of large predators like horses and rhinoceroses, it was assumed that this species could not hunt smaller creatures. However, most of the bones found at Abric Pisarro belonged to small mammals, as reported by IFLScience. This suggests that Neanderthals may have adapted their hunting strategies based on the types of prey available in the region at that time.
“Our remarkable findings at Abric Pisarro showed just how adaptable Neanderthals were. The animal bones we discovered indicated that they successfully exploited the local fauna, hunting noble deer, horses, and bison, as well as consuming freshwater turtles and rabbits, which implies a certain degree of planning,” Dr. Samper Carro explained.
Based on the diverse remains found at the excavation site, the authors concluded that local groups of Neanderthals were skilled hunters with considerable knowledge of the surrounding landscape, which they effectively utilized. Meanwhile, the stone tools uncovered at Abric Pisarro showcased a variety of processing techniques, further evidence of these hominins’ ability to harness environmental resources.
“They certainly knew what they were doing,” noted Ms. Samper Carro. “They understood the terrain and knew how to survive over extended periods.”
Unfortunately, these findings do not clarify how or why Neanderthals went extinct shortly after the arrival of modern humans. However, the study’s results at least fill some gaps in our understanding of the Neanderthal experience prior to their encounter with us.
Neanderthals disappeared around 40,000 years ago after Homo sapiens appeared in the Pyrenees region, but prior to that, they had lived in Europe for about 300,000 years, as Sofia Samper Carro reminded us.
The findings of this research were published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.