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Proof that Neanderthals ate crabs is another 'nail in the coffin' for primitive cave dweller stereotypes
Phys dot org ^ | February 7, 2023 | Frontiers

Posted on 02/12/2023 10:09:33 PM PST by SunkenCiv

In a cave just south of Lisbon, archaeological deposits conceal a Paleolithic dinner menu. As well as stone tools and charcoal, the site of Gruta de Figueira Brava contains rich deposits of shells and bones with much to tell us about the Neanderthals that lived there—especially about their meals. A study published in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology shows that 90,000 years ago, these Neanderthals were cooking and eating crabs...

A wide variety of shellfish remains were found in the archaeological remains Nabais and her colleagues studied, but the shellfish in the undisturbed Paleolithic deposits are overwhelmingly represented by brown crabs. Their size was estimated by calculating the size of the carapace relative to the crabs' pincers, which preserve better than other parts of the crab, so are more likely to survive to be found by scientists. The archaeologists assessed the breakage on the shells, looked for butchery or percussion marks, and determined whether the crabs had been exposed to high heat.

Nabais and her colleagues found that the crabs were mostly large adults which would yield about 200g of meat. By studying the patterns of damage on the shells and claws, they ruled out the involvement of other predators: there were no carnivore or rodent marks, and the patterns of breakage didn't reflect predation by birds. Crabs are evasive, but Neanderthals could have harvested brown crabs of this size from low tide pools in the summer.

(Excerpt) Read more at phys.org ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: dietandcuisine; godsgravesglyphs; multiregionalism; neandertal; neandertals; neanderthal; neanderthals; paleolithic
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To: rlmorel

The claws do require a bit of extra work. I prefer a nutcracker for the job, personally.


41 posted on 02/13/2023 2:23:25 PM PST by NorthMountain (... the right of the peopIe to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: PIF

So I tried to apologize but you are a nasty piece of work evidently.


No you are! Making sarcastic remarks about “unless I interviewed Neanderthals”, and next time, “quote the article” when I gave another theory from many anthropologists. You have no self-awareness of what a pompous as you are nitpicking at me. I bet you have over 100 names on this site to constantly ridicule and attack, because your tone is familiar.. Have the last word. You are a psycho!


42 posted on 02/13/2023 2:36:44 PM PST by sumuam
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To: PIF

You’re a bully!!


43 posted on 02/13/2023 2:39:45 PM PST by sumuam
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To: NorthMountain

I prefer nutcrackers too, but they didn’t hand them out to everyone, IIRC.

I am pretty adept, though in my enthusiasm, have cut myself a few times over the years.


44 posted on 02/13/2023 2:39:51 PM PST by rlmorel ("If you think tough men are dangerous, just wait until you see what weak men are capable of." JBP)
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To: sumuam

Add as your posting history provides you are a dyed in the wool Pootie supporter


45 posted on 02/13/2023 2:48:13 PM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: SunkenCiv

Find some ossified truffles in a cave and their reputation will really be elevated!


46 posted on 02/13/2023 2:52:07 PM PST by 9YearLurker
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To: PIF

Add as your posting history provides you are a dyed in the wool Pootie supporter


I knew it. If that’s your beef you should have said so in the first place. And you like sniffing Biden’s sharts. Bye.....


47 posted on 02/13/2023 3:00:05 PM PST by sumuam
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To: Brooklyn Attitude

There’s an old anti-Neandertal bias, seems to have started with Virchow. Also, since Neandertal roots aren’t specifically in Africa...


48 posted on 02/13/2023 3:41:46 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: BigEdLB

but early recipes for Joe’s Stone Crab dipping sauce were abundant. ))))


49 posted on 02/13/2023 4:55:51 PM PST by T. Rustin Noone (Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum)
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To: popdonnelly

Nope..

It was the oyster that defined the hungriest Neanderthal ever.


50 posted on 02/13/2023 4:58:33 PM PST by T. Rustin Noone (Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum)
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To: SunkenCiv

Rabbits and Deer run faster than crabs. Crabs run faster than Oysters and Seaweed. I’m guessing that Crabs, Oysters and Seaweed were frequently on the menu until you got into the Great Basin including White Sands.


51 posted on 02/13/2023 5:26:23 PM PST by centurion316
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To: sumuam; PIF

No, they didn’t. They are the ancestors of most living people, as a matter of fact. Stop talking out of your ass.


52 posted on 02/14/2023 9:46:20 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: SunkenCiv

I’m betting that their introductory fine dining also included escargo a la cargolades. (For those not in the know, cargolades is a snail dish from Southern France that is snails grilled in their shells.)


53 posted on 02/14/2023 9:38:23 PM PST by wildbill (The older I get, the less the term 'life in prison" scares me)
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To: popdonnelly

Nah, it was a really hungry Neanderthal that ate the first oyster. It was a develoment of those Neanderthals who were among the first sexual perverts.


54 posted on 02/14/2023 9:41:29 PM PST by wildbill (The older I get, the less the term 'life in prison" scares me)
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