The use of plants by Neanderthals as food, medicine, and raw materials

Hardy, Karen

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-821428-2.00004-4

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…This is one of the first potential demonstration of substantial diversity in individual dietary behaviors among Neanderthals using stable isotopes, two of them from the same site. Our results concur with those on dental calculus (Henry et al 2011;Weyrich et al 2017;Hardy et al 2022) suggesting that there is a greater heterogeneity in feeding strategies within or between Neanderthal groups than previously thought, particularly regarding the variability of plants source in the diet. Whether the differences between these dietary strategies were sociocultural, symbolic, seasonal, or personal in nature (or due to some unknown reason) remains an open question.…”

Section: Dietary Diversity Among Neanderthalssupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Patou-Mathis, 2000;Costamagno et al, 2006;Hublin and Richards, 2009;Marín et al, 2017). Nonetheless, recent methodological developments such as dental calculus studies now allow us direct analysis of diet and reveal the consumption of a large panel of plants by Neanderthal (Henry et al 2011;Weyrich et al 2017;Hardy et al 2022). Additionally, recent discoveries at the Figueira Brava site on Portugal's Atlantic coast have even painted a picture of a very broad food spectrum for Neanderthals, including terrestrial (animal and vegetable) and marine resources (Zilhão et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diverse bone-calcium isotope compositions in Neandertals suggest different dietary strategies

Dodat,

Albalat,

Balter

et al. 2024

Journal of Human Evolution

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Section: Dietary Diversity Among Neanderthalssupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diverse bone-calcium isotope compositions in Neandertals suggest different dietary strategies

Dodat,

Albalat,

Balter

et al. 2024

Journal of Human Evolution

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“…There has also been a growth in our understanding of Neandertal use of plants for medicinal purposes. Chemical compounds extracted from Neandertal dental calculus demonstrated the use of yarrow and chamomile by Neandertals at the site of El Sidrón in Spain (see discussion in Hardy 2022). At this same site, one Neandertal teen suffered from a painful dental abscess and a chronic gastrointestinal pathogen causing diarrhea (Nowell 2021, Weyrich et al 2017.…”

Section: Medical Use Of Plantsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…They also found traces of the Penicillium fungus from which we derive penicillin. That Neandertals were cognizant of the medicinal properties of plants should not be surprising given the well-documented behavior of nonhuman primates in this regard (Hardy 2022). De la Fuente and colleagues (2022, p. 1) identified plant use "associated with antiparasitic, antibacterial, antimalarial, anti-inflammatory, insect repellent, among other properties" among 25 nonhuman primate species.…”

Section: Medical Use Of Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rethinking Neandertals

Nowell

2023

Annu. Rev. Anthropol.

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In this article, I first provide an overview of the Neandertals by recounting their initial discovery and subsequent interpretation by scientists and by discussing our current understanding of the temporal and geographic span of these hominins and their taxonomic affiliation. I then explore what progress we have made in our understanding of Neandertal lifeways and capabilities over the past decade in light of new technologies and changing perspectives. In the process, I consider whether these advances in knowledge qualify as so-called Black Swans, a term used in economics to describe events that are rare and unpredictable and have wide-ranging consequences, in this case for the field of paleoanthropology. Building on this discussion, I look at ongoing debates and focus on Neandertal extinction as a case study. By way of discussion and conclusion, I take a detailed look at why Neandertals continue to engender great interest, and indeed emotion, among scientists and the general public alike. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Anthropology, Volume 52 is October 2023. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

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An Integrated Evolutionary Scenario for the Culturalization of the Human Body

d’Errico

2024

The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology and Anthropology of Body Modification

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This chapter synthesizes our understanding of the earliest body modifications, including the origins of clothing and the use of mineral pigments and personal ornaments, to propose an integrated scenario for the culturalization of the body over at least 500,000 years. It is proposed that the emergence of clothing was triggered by climatic changes during the Middle-Upper Pleistocene transition. As biological adaptations became inadequate, humans developed cultural innovations to cope with harsh environments, which gradually evolved from utilitarian uses to expressions of identity and social affiliation. Evidence from Middle Stone Age sites in Africa, including the increasing use of ochre for various protective and symbolic purposes and the production of personal ornaments, suggests that these practices were well established by at least 160,000 to 140,000 years ago. They began to get more complex and diversified about 50,000 years ago. The chapter also explores how cognitive evolution, particularly in areas of the brain that enhance social cognition and symbolic reasoning, was crucial in processing the complex social signals conveyed by body modifications. This cognitive evolution, together with emerging social structures, provided significant evolutionary advantages, facilitating the permanent culturalization of the human body and the reinforcement of social hierarchies and group identities.

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The use of plants by Neanderthals as food, medicine, and raw materials

Cited by 4 publications

References 98 publications

Diverse bone-calcium isotope compositions in Neandertals suggest different dietary strategies

Diverse bone-calcium isotope compositions in Neandertals suggest different dietary strategies

Rethinking Neandertals

An Integrated Evolutionary Scenario for the Culturalization of the Human Body

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