Neanderthal cave reveals ancient food traditions

According to an analysis of slaughterhouses on animal bones in caves in northern Israel, two groups of Neanderthals, living 70 kilometers, developed unique food preparation techniques.

Despite using the same tools and hunting the same prey between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago, Amud and Kebara Caves’ team left a distinct cut pattern, indicating the food tradition that culture spreads.

This discovery provides rare insights into the social complexity of Neanderthals and the assumptions about their cultural unity. The researchers found that differences in bone processing cannot be explained by skill levels, which can be used to resources or environmental stress, but rather spreads learned behaviors from generation to generation.

Written with Stone Age bones

The study examined 344 animal bone fragments with two cave site cut marks using advanced microscopy techniques to analyze the precise characteristics of each incision. The two groups hunted mountains and fallow deer mainly during winter occupations in their respective caves.

However, the slaughtering model tells a different story. In Amud Cave, the cut marks are filled with dense amounts of filling and less shape, creating a clustered appearance of many overlapping cuts. In Kebara Cave, the markings are more extensive, mostly straight, indicating more controlled processing techniques.

“The subtle differences in tailoring patterns between Amud and Kebara may reflect the local tradition of animal carcasses processing,” explained Anaëlle Jallon, PhD candidate at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “Although Neanderthals at both locations share similar living conditions and face comparable challenges, they seem to have developed unique slaughtering strategies that may be spread through social learning and cultural traditions.”

Not just meat processing

This study reveals other differences that cannot be attributed to environmental factors. In Amud Cave, 40% of animal bones show evidence of burning, while Kebara only has 9% burning. Amud bones are also more fragmented, potentially reflecting different cooking or storage habits.

The main findings of the analysis include:

• Compared with Kebara, Amud caves have 6.5 times more marked density
• AMUD has significantly more overlapping incisions (37.3% vs. 15.2%)
• Different burning modes suggest different cooking methods
• Although the processing techniques are different, similar tool techniques

The researchers considered whether these differences might reflect differences in skill levels or resource scarcity, but experimental archaeology showed that shear patterns were not related to slaughter expertise. Instead, evidence points to intentional choices about how meat is processed.

Ancient recipes in making

One interesting possibility is that Amud’s Neanderthals treat meat differently before slaughtering – perhaps drying the meat or allowing controlled decomposition, similar to meat at the age of modern butcher. Rotten meat requires more intensive processing, which can explain the denser linear cutting marks found on the site.

“These two sites provide us with a unique opportunity to explore whether Neanderthal slaughter technology is standardized,” Jallon noted. “If slaughter technology differs between sites or time periods, it would suggest that factors such as cultural traditions, culinary preferences or social organizations even affect survival-related activities such as slaughter.”

The study used a focus variation microscope to measure the cut marking properties on the micrometer scale, indicating that although the overall shape and depth of the incisions are similar-reflecting the same tool type, the patterns and density between sites vary greatly.

Cultural complexity revealed

These findings add to the growing evidence that Neanderthals have complex cultural abilities. Previous studies have documented regional changes in masonry production techniques, and this study extends this pattern to food processing behavior.

The study also reveals spatial organization within caves, where different areas are used for specific activities. In Amud Cave, the peripheral areas appear to be discarded areas, while the central areas are used for major slaughtering activities, a pattern that reflects what Kebara sees in Kebara.

Although the study has limitations due to bone breakage, the researchers stress that future comparative analysis could help identify a broader model of social communication traditions in Neanderthal populations. This work shows that even basic survival activities such as food processing are affected by cultural learning and specific group preferences.

As Jallon summed up: “Future research, including more experimental work and comparative analysis, is crucial to addressing these uncertainties, and perhaps one day reconstructing Neanderthal recipes.”

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