Recent studies show that Neandertals, who once lived throughout Europe, demonstrated complex hunting tactics as far back as 200,000 years ago. This research uncovers the degree of their prowess in assembling talent. They are large and successful ambush predators of big herbivores such as bison, wild cattle, rhinos, horses, and reindeer.
Archaeologists have discovered evidence that these ancient humans ambushed horses at an ancient lakeshore in Germany, utilizing wooden spears and complex tactics. On May 9, the research journal Science Advances announced the results. These stunning results are the result of some high-profile archaeological excavations that occurred during the 1990s at the Schöningen site.
The work further shows that Neandertals were able to assemble coordinated hunting parties able to drive herds of horses into traps. By understanding equine behavior, they were better positioned to lead a successful hunt. The Schöningen site opened up these key understandings, revealing butchered carcasses of more than 50 horses of all ages. This material clearly shows that Neandertals had remarkable abilities in both foresight and collaboration.
Jarod Hutson, a zooarchaeologist from the MONREPOS Archaeological Research Center and Museum for Behavioral Evolution in Neuwied, Germany, stated that Neandertals likely began to cooperate in new ways. This innovation was crucial for big-game hunting and indicative of advanced social planning similar to that found in modern Homo sapiens.
“Neandertals started to cooperate in new ways, for hunting and other complex social behaviors, probably on par with early Homo sapiens,” – Jarod Hutson
Hutson and his colleagues compared amino acid alterations between various samples—including snail shells and horse molars. Their aim was to derive a more precise age estimation for the Schöningen site. In their study, the researchers calibrated temperature-sensitive pollen types found in sediment layers to the timing of these ancient global climate shifts. Due to this new connection, the site’s timeline has been reinterpreted.
Until now, the dating of the German hunting weapons and horse remains believed to be around 300,000 years old. This new research pushes it all the way back to 200,000 years ago. Other finds at five different European sites are as old as 57,000 to 130,000 years ago.
What the research at Schöningen has revealed is not just how Neandertals hunted, but how complex their social lives were. Their capacity to intermarry in such complex networks of migration speaks to the fact that these ancients had to be much more sophisticated than we once thought.
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