Posted on 09/27/2013 5:56:26 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
In a joint study, Professor Hervé Bocherens of the University of Tübingen, Germany, together with colleagues from the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Saint Petersburg, Russia and the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels, Belgium have found at a cave in the Caucasus Mountains indirect hints of fish consumption by Neandertals... Bone analyses ruled out cave bears and cave lions to have consumed the fish whose remains were found at the Caucasian cave... located on the northern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, called Kudaro 3.
There, the bone fragments of large salmon, migrating from marine water to their freshwater spawning places, were found in the Middle Palaeolithic archaeological layers, dated to around 42 to 48,000 years ago, and probably deposited by Neandertals. Such remains suggested that fish was consumed by these archaic Humans. However, large carnivores, such as Asiatic cave bears (Ursus kudarensis) and cave lions (Panthera spelaea) were also found in the cave and could have brought the salmon bones in the caves.
To test this hypothesis, the possible contribution of marine fish in the diet of these carnivores was evaluated using carbon, nitrogen and sulphur isotopes in faunal bone collagen, comparing these isotopic signatures between predators and their potential prey. The results indicate that salmons were neither part of the diet of cave bears (they were purely vegetarian, like their European counterparts) or cave lions (they were predators of herbivores from arid areas).
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
The map shows the location of the Kudaro 3 cave in the Caucasian Mountains. (Credit: H. Bocherens/University of Tübingen)
The Neandertal Enigma"Frayer's own reading of the record reveals a number of overlooked traits that clearly and specifically link the Neandertals to the Cro-Magnons. One such trait is the shape of the opening of the nerve canal in the lower jaw, a spot where dentists often give a pain-blocking injection. In many Neandertal, the upper portion of the opening is covered by a broad bony ridge, a curious feature also carried by a significant number of Cro-Magnons. But none of the alleged 'ancestors of us all' fossils from Africa have it, and it is extremely rare in modern people outside Europe." [pp 126-127]
by James Shreeve
in local libraries
My favorite fish , especially raw !
Neanderthals are looking more like us discovery by discovery. Meat, veggies and fish. The big question, did they discover beer??
Served with lemon dill sauce, I hope.
Of course, they did.
Beer is why prehistoric man turned from a nomadic hunter/gatherer existence to a permanent farming society, organized around cultivating grain.
42 Years ago? That would be one of the latest sightings for Neadertals I've ever heard of.
Absurd. They were very rigid. They only ate fish on Fridays.
Bagels, cream cheese, capers and onion found nearby . . .
And lactose tolerance? Probably came from the Neandertals. Probably the baking of leavened bread did also.
I’m pretty sure the Neandertal men wouldn’t have hit that. ;’)
Well, there is that big eastern European boxer...
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