Work

Late Neanderthal subsistence and foraging mobility at Lapa do Picareiro: a zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of Level JJ

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Recent revisions of Neanderthal behavioral models call into question the notion of inflexible subsistence strategies. Here, we present new zooarchaeological and taphonomic data from Level JJ at Lapa do Picareiro (Portuguese Estremadura), dating to ~51.5–42.5 ka cal BP, to evaluate Neanderthal prey selection, mobility, and adaptive responses to climatic fluctuations during MIS 3. Our zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of macro-mammalian faunal assemblages—divided into three stratigraphic subunits—reveals a consistent emphasis on red deer exploitation, supplemented by occasional hunting of ibex, chamois, aurochs, and horse. Despite paleoenvironmental disturbances associated with Heinrich Stadial (HS) 5, the stable abundance and processing of red deer indicate that these key resources remained reliable, supporting a localized foraging territory estimated at 225–400 km2. In contrast, the lithic record shows a shift in raw material procurement before and after the climatic event, suggesting adaptive technological responses. Overall, our findings imply that Neanderthals at Picareiro employed brief, intermittent site occupations while maintaining resilient, regionally adapted subsistence and mobility strategies in the face of environmental variability.

Source: Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology

DOI: 10.3389/fearc.2025.1545249

Authors: Milena Carvalho, Jonathan A. Haws, Emily Lena Jones

Institutions: Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and the Evolution of Human Behaviour, University of Algarve, University of Louisville, University of New Mexico

Language: English

Topic: Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology

Subfield: Anthropology

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,353

Funders: National Science Foundation, European Research Council