Neanderthal Cave Reveals Seasonal Harvesting

Researchers in Spain said this week that Neanderthals living at Los Aviones Cave near Cartagena were not gathering shellfish at random 115,000 years ago. A study released on May 19 said the cave’s mollusc remains show collection across the year, with a clear concentration in colder months. The work was led by teams from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the University of Burgos and the University of Cantabria. The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ### How did archaeologists work out the season from shells that old? Oxygen isotopes preserved in shell carbonate gave the researchers their main clue. The team said the balance of heavier and lighter oxygen isotopes changes with seawater temperature, allowing them to reconstruct when during the year the molluscs were collected. Lead author Asier García-Escárzaga said those values act like a “prehistoric thermometer” when traced through shell growth. (uab.cat) The Los Aviones material included small gastropods and limpets. By sampling the shells at high resolution, the researchers said they could move beyond showing that Neanderthals ate marine foods and instead estimate the timing of collection with unusual precision for such an early period. ### What pattern did the shells show at Los Aviones Cave? The study said Neanderthals used marine resources throughout the year but favored autumn and winter. (uab.cat) The strongest harvesting window ran roughly from November to April, according to the researchers’ analysis of the shells from the cave in Murcia, southeastern Spain. Los Aviones Cave has already figured prominently in debates over Neanderthal behavior because it preserves marine remains and other evidence from the Middle Paleolithic. (uab.cat) This new analysis adds a seasonal timetable to that record rather than a single snapshot of shellfish use. ### Why do the colder months matter in this case? Asier García-Escárzaga said the colder-season pattern matches periods when some mollusc species offer more edible meat and better flavor and texture because of their reproductive cycles. The researchers also said warmer months could bring higher risks from spoilage or toxic algae, making seasonal choice practical as well as repeatable. (english.elpais.com) That explanation comes from the study team, not from direct observation of Neanderthal decisions. But the pattern in the shells is consistent with selective harvesting rather than opportunistic collection alone, according to the researchers’ account of the data. ### Does this mean Neanderthals occupied the cave all year? Asier García-Escárzaga told El País that Los Aviones was occupied year-round, though not necessarily continuously. (uab.cat) He said the shell record points to exploitation in every season, even if the bulk of the remains cluster in late autumn through early spring. That distinction matters because the study addresses timing of resource use more directly than settlement permanence. The evidence shows repeated access to coastal foods across the calendar, while the question of whether groups lived there continuously remains open in the researchers’ own description. (english.elpais.com) ### Why is this site in Murcia drawing attention now? For decades, archaeologists debated whether organized shellfish use and seasonal planning were traits associated mainly with Homo sapiens. The UAB-led team said the Los Aviones evidence pushes that behavior back into a Neanderthal context in southern Europe around 115,000 years ago. The paper does not stand alone as proof of every aspect of Neanderthal coastal life. (english.elpais.com) It does, however, give researchers a dated and chemically tested example from one named site, using methods that can be applied to other shell assemblages in Iberia and beyond. ### What comes next after the Los Aviones study? The next step is comparative work at other coastal archaeological sites, using the same isotope method on shell remains from Iberia and nearby regions, according to the research teams’ description of the approach. (uab.cat) Because the paper is now in PNAS, other groups can test whether the November-to-April pattern seen at Los Aviones appears elsewhere in Neanderthal contexts.