Good Example Of Microfossils In Calculus Demonstrate Consumption Of Plants And Cooked Foods In Neanderthal Diets Article Review

Article Summary and Analysis

The article describes in detail that the Neanderthals ate plants and cooked their food. This was found in the teeth and the subsequent wear on the teeth indicative of certain plants and cooked foods. The main idea behind the article is that the Neanderthals, contrary to popular belief, ate plants and cooked food to include grains, starches, grass seeds, and legumes. The article highlights scientific methodology of coming to this conclusion. Certain types of plant material were found in the teeth. The author uses this as evidence to argue her main thesis. The method of the author’s reasoning follows, as said before, the scientific method. The author uses fossilized plant remnants to conclude that the Neanderthals ate plants. The wants to convey that this is true, contrary to the common belief that their diets were different than modern humans.

Hunting Behavior and Adaptability in the Late Pleistoncene Site of Pehc-de-l-Aze I

The article describes and argues that Neanderthals hunted the available Red Deer as well as the bison population due to environmental changes and that the Neanderthals of the time were very adaptable to their immediate physical environment. The author’s main idea is as stated above; Neanderthals adjusted their hunting and their shelter adaptation methods to suit their physical environment. The main points that the author makes are as follows. Neanderthals reduced the size of their shelters in order to cope with collapsing roofs. This was evident from the different types, materials, and differences in thickness of stone and other raw building materials found in the archeological site. Secondly the author uses the %MAU of red deer and Bison to indicate the hunting patterns of the Neanderthals. Lastly, the author describes the skelotchronological results of the Neanderthals to suggest the different prey the Neanderthal sought. The method the authors used, as with much of anthropology was scientific in nature. The author attempts to convey the message that this is new insight into the discovery of Neanderthal bedding, sheltering, and hunting habits as made evident by the materials and skeletons at the dig site.

Monospecific faunal spectra in Mousterian Contexts: Implications for social behavior

The article suggests that the Neanderthal populations of Mousterian and Western Europe hunted as groups. It further argues that the Neanderthals had both the intent and the capability to hunt and store food for future needs while hunting in these groups. The main idea behind the article is that the Neanderthals hunted communally. The author uses evidence found at the sites to include faunal and skeletal records to suggest that the hunters worked in groups. The author uses these main points but adds that there are some uncertainties when it comes to the findings. It is not known whether the hunting strategies appeared for the first time at these sites of it followed some quantifiable trend. The author is trying to convey that the Neanderthals most likely hunted in groups according to the evidence presented, however, there is still discussion as to a timeframe or apparent patterns.

Discussion Questions:

Is the great number of faunal deposits found at the sites indicative of the nature of Neanderthal hunting patterns or is it just coincidence?
Can we be sure that microfossils found lodged in the dental calculi of the Neanderthals are indicative of a diet or could they be some sort of cultural activity or ceremony?

Works Cited

Henry, Amanda. "Microfossils in calculus demonstrate consumption of plants and cooked foods in Neanderthal diets (Shanidar III, Iraq; Spy I and II, Belgium)." PNAS (2010). Print.
Rendu, William. "Hunting Behavior and Neanderthal Adaptability." Journal of Archaeological Science (2010). Print.
Rendu, William. "Monospecific Faunal Spectra in Mousterian contexts: Implications for Social Behavior." Quaternary International (2011). Print.