A group of Spanish, Portuguese and French researchers reproduced the ancient methods used by Neanderthals to butcher and cook birds in order to better understand the diet of these hominids.
In the study, which publishes Frontiers in Environmental Archeologyparticipated, among others, Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES), the Rovira i Virgili University and the Archeology Center of the University of Lisbon.
It is difficult to know what Neanderthals ate and how they prepared food, especially when it comes to small animals such as birds, as they leave few archaeological traces.
Research indicates that Fire-roasted birds are easier to process, but only those slaughtered raw show cut marks, evidence that can be used to understand the Neanderthal diet.
Beware of flint flakes
Scientists encountered unforeseen difficulties such as using flint flakes for butchery, which “required considerable precision and effort” that they had not fully appreciated before this experiment, according to the study’s lead author, Mariana Nabais of IPHES.
The blades were sharper than expected, so they had to be handled carefully to make precise cuts without injuring your fingers.
These experiments “emphasized the practical challenges of Neanderthal food processing and cooking, providing a tangible connection to their everyday lives and survival strategies,” Nabais said.
The researchers tested food preparation methods that Neanderthals might have used to see what traces they might leave on the bones and how they compare to damage caused by natural processes or the actions of other animals.
From crows to doves
Five wild birds that had died of natural causes at the Gouveia Wildlife Ecology, Rehabilitation and Surveillance Centre (Portugal) were used: Two black crows, two collared doves and a wood pigeon, which are species similar to those eaten by Neanderthals.
For their study, the team selected cooking methods using archaeological evidence and ethnographic data. All birds were plucked by hand.
A black crow and a collared dove were butchered raw with a flint flake and the remaining three birds were roasted over embers and then butchered, which the scientists found much easier than doing so with raw birds.
“Roasting birds over embers required maintaining a constant temperature and carefully controlling the duration of cooking to prevent the meat from becoming overcooked”Nabais explained.
Plucking the birds beforehand meant that they were roasted in less than ten minutes, meaning they spent more time preparing the coals than cooking.
Looking for brands
The scientists cleaned and dried the bones and examined them under a microscope for cut marks, fractures and burns. They also examined the flint flake they had used for signs of wear.
Although they had used their hands for most of the butchering, the raw birds required considerable use of the flint, which showed small crescent-shaped marks on the edge.
The cuts used to extract the meat from raw birds left no marks on the bones, but those directed at the tendons created marks similar to those of birds found in archaeological sites.
The bones of roasted birds were more brittle, some of which shattered beyond repair. In any case, almost all of them had brown or black burns consistent with controlled exposure to heat.
Black stains on the inside of some of the bones suggested that the contents of the inner cavity had also been burned.
This evidence sheds light on how Neanderthal food preparation might have worked, and how visible that preparation might have been in the archaeological record.
Although roasting makes the meat easier to access, the greater fragility of the bones means that the remains may not be found by archaeologists.
Further research
The team noted that this research should be expanded to better understand the Neanderthal diet with studies that include more small prey species, as well as the processing of birds for non-food products, such as claws or feathers.
Nabais acknowledged that the sample size is “relatively small” — just five bird specimens — which may “not fully represent the diversity of bird species that Neanderthals could have used.”
Experimental conditions, although carefully controlled, cannot fully reproduce the exact environmental and cultural contexts of Neanderthal life, so further research with larger samples, varied species and more diverse experimental conditions is needed to expand on these results.