The Neanderthal diet was far more diverse than the common image of a purely carnivorous “caveman” suggests. Scientific discoveries show these ancient hominins were highly adaptable and resourceful, consuming a wide array of foods based on their local environments. This adaptability allowed them to thrive across varied landscapes for hundreds of thousands of years.
Primary Food Sources
Large game was a significant part of the Neanderthal diet, but it encompassed a broader spectrum of food sources. They hunted large herbivores like mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, bison, wild horses, and various deer species, which provided protein and fat for their high caloric needs. During colder periods, especially in open, grassland environments, their diet relied heavily on meat.
Neanderthals also consumed smaller game like rabbits, tortoises, and birds. Evidence points to a significant inclusion of plant-based foods, including tubers, nuts, berries, seeds, and fungi, which provided carbohydrates and other nutrients. In coastal regions, their diet expanded to include marine resources such as fish, shellfish, seals, and even dolphins.
Scientific Evidence for Their Diet
Scientists reconstruct the Neanderthal diet using several methodologies. Isotopic analysis of carbon and nitrogen isotopes in Neanderthal bone collagen helps determine primary protein sources over an individual’s lifetime. High nitrogen isotope ratios often indicate a diet rich in meat from large herbivores or aquatic resources.
Another technique involves analyzing dental calculus, or hardened tooth plaque. This material traps microscopic food remains, including plant microfossils, starch grains, and ancient DNA. For instance, dental calculus from individuals in Spain revealed consumption of mushrooms, pine nuts, and moss, while Belgian Neanderthals showed a diet heavy in woolly rhinoceros and wild sheep. Faunal remains provide direct evidence of hunted and consumed animals, with cut marks on bones indicating butchering. Grinding stones and other tools also suggest plant processing.
Regional Variations in Food Consumption
The Neanderthal diet varied significantly depending on geographical location and available resources. In northern and inland Europe, where cold steppe-tundra environments prevailed, Neanderthals relied heavily on large terrestrial herbivores like mammoths and woolly rhinoceroses. Isotopic studies from these regions show a diet primarily composed of large mammal protein.
In Mediterranean and coastal areas, Neanderthals had a more diversified diet. Archaeological findings from sites in Portugal, for example, show consumption of marine resources, including limpets, mussels, clams, various fish, and brown crabs. Southern European and Middle Eastern Neanderthal populations also had a broader diet, incorporating a wider array of plant species, as well as tortoises and birds. This variation highlights their ability to exploit abundant local food sources.
Dietary Habits and Resourcefulness
Neanderthals used sophisticated strategies for acquiring and processing food. They were accomplished hunters, using cooperative strategies like ambush hunting to target large prey. Evidence suggests they drove herds into natural bottlenecks, such as ravines or cul-de-sacs, to make them easier to kill. Their hunting tools included wooden spears, some tipped with sharpened stones, likely used for close-range thrusting.
Beyond hunting, Neanderthals gathered plant foods. They also used fire for cooking meat and plant materials. Charred remains of oat, barley, peas, pistachios, and wild mustard at some sites suggest they processed these foods, sometimes combining different plants, and even detoxifying certain species by soaking and crushing them. Fragmented and burned bones at sites also suggest practices like bone marrow extraction, indicating a thorough use of carcasses.