Stable isotope evidence for increasing dietary breadth in the European mid-Upper Paleolithic

Isotopic evidence for the diets of European Neanderthals and early modern humans

“…This interpretation was largely based on the similarity of these isotope values to those of freshwater fish consumers from Mesolithic Eastern Europe (13,14). We further postulated that the isotope evidence demonstrated a shift to a broader dietary spectrum by early modern humans (11), which probably included small game, in addition to fish, an inference supported by the faunal evidence (15,16). Since that study, there have been more isotopic studies of Neanderthals (5-9) and early modern humans (4,17,18).…”

“…I sotope evidence is a powerful tool for reconstructing past human diets and subsistence adaptations (1)(2)(3), and it has been applied to a number of Neanderthals and early modern humans from Europe (4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). In 2 earlier studies (10, 11), we argued that Neanderthals had relatively uniform dietary adaptations while early modern humans in Europe had more variable isotope values-and therefore diets-than the Neanderthals.…”

“…In 2 earlier studies (10, 11), we argued that Neanderthals had relatively uniform dietary adaptations while early modern humans in Europe had more variable isotope values-and therefore diets-than the Neanderthals. Specifically, we proposed that a number of European early modern humans had higher nitrogen isotope values than any Neanderthal and that these values likely indicated that some of these humans were obtaining much of their protein from aquatic resources, namely freshwater fish (11). This interpretation was largely based on the similarity of these isotope values to those of freshwater fish consumers from Mesolithic Eastern Europe (13,14).…”

Plant foods and the dietary ecology of Neanderthals and early modern humans

“…These groups consumed more marine and fish resources (Drucker and Bocherens, 2004;Marean et al, 2007;McBrearty and Brooks, 2000;Richards et al, 2001;O'Connor et al, 2011), developed specialized technologies, such as complex projectile weapons and fishing Brooks et al, 1995Brooks et al, , 2006O'Connor et al, 2011), and possibly a more sophisticated social organization, with a sexual division of labor (Kuhn and Stiner, 2006) that allowed them to acquire a wider variety of food more efficiently.…”

Revised direct radiocarbon dating of the Vindija G 1 Upper Paleolithic Neandertals

“…Beginning in the 1990s, several early modern humans have been directly dated to Ͼ28,000 B.P. (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9). In addition, a suite of purportedly pre-28,000 B.P.…”