In the last few decades, there have been huge debates around the Neanderthals and their place in the human story. Many conclusions tend to come from the fact that they made a significant contribution to the genomes of the peoples of Upper Paleolithic Eurasia.
However, there has been some debate about the brain and behaviors of the Neanderthals in comparison to the modern human peoples of sub-Saharan Africa. For Example, there are claims that cave art found in Sulawesi and Borneo dates to 40,000 years ago, indicating that it was made by anatomically modern people coming from Africa.
Though there are no fossil remains that indicate this. It was in this context that the research began at Gruta de Oliveira in 1987. It was suspected that this area would have been a hub of human activity because of the ready availability of water, and the nearby Almonda River. The site of Gruta da Oliveira has proven to be particularly relevant and full of finds.
The Discovery
Gruta da Oliveira is found around the Tertiary basin near the lower Tagus. It is separated from Portuguese Estremadura’s Central Limestone Massif by a 40 km (25 mile) long, 100 meter (325 feet) escarpment known as the Arrife.
The biggest landscape feature is a reverse fault generated as siliciclastic deposits. The area is made up of the Karst Spring in the Almonda River which has developed as a multiphase cave system: these caves are very complex, hollowed out of the rock in several stages, and very old.
Several collapsed entrances have been discovered which makes it likely that humans and animals have used the cave system to stay dry and to live in. The cave is located around halfway up the escarpment. It contains at least 19 distinct archaeological layers which have been dated to around 110,000- 70,000 BC.
The initial investigations began in 1989 but the excavation did not begin until 1990 and continued until 2012. There has been a rich wood charcoal and animal bone assemblage found in the area and they have been accompanied by human remains.
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These have included bones and Middle Paleolithic stone tools. Through previous studies, geo-archaeologists have found that there was a sedimentary layer that kept all of the finds in good condition, and in good order.
Preservation and understanding of the different layers has been key. Every layer that was found was systematically recorded as a different stratigraphic layer and each was considered on their own as well as a group.
They have been investigated using polarised light and fluorescence. The works have been led by an international group of archaeologists which have been supervised by Joao Zilhao from the University of Lisbon who has authored the study with Diego Angelucci and Mariana Nabais.
They have found that the passages date back to around 120,000 years ago with the most recent finds being dated to around 40,000 BC. Angelucci has been on record commenting that:
“For us, Almonda is a gift that keeps on giving for the variety and quantity of artifacts and remains that we have found over the years: from the remains dating back to the Lower Paleolithic to the chipped stones of the Mousterian culture, there is really everything.”
How the Inhabitants Lived
One of the main things that caught the attention of the archaeologists was the traces of hearths which were intentionally built to be used in the cave. They found around a dozen hearths spread across various stratigraphic levels during the excavation.
This was in an area of around 30 square meters (325 sq feet), in places six meters (20 feet) deep. Within these hearths of an unmistakable basin-like shape, remains were found.
These findings being so close near the hearths indicate the inhabitants would likely have used them for cooking. Burnt bones, burnt wood, and ash remains were some of the top finds in these hearths.
The rock underneath was reddened by the heat. This was a crucial piece of information as indicates that the hearths were used regularly and that they were in a primary position within the site.
Fire is one of the fundamental aspects of a technological civilization and indicates that the Neanderthal people who lived here were of a certain cognitive caliber. It seems the more we understand about early human history, the more we recognize that our formative inventions came early, and often from other species.
Through these findings, the archaeologists were even able to identify what the people who lived in the cave were eating, right down to the cooking techniques that were used. There were burnt remains of cooked deer, goats, horses, bulls, rhinos, and turtles.
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It is likely the latter were laid on their carapace and stewed on hot stones. Meat was the main part of the menu in these settlements, but those nearer coastal regions tended to have a much higher concentration of mussels, fish, and mollusks.
Alongside these delicacies, the archaeologists found a selection of pine nuts and other natural ingredients. However, one thing that remains a mystery is perhaps the key remaining question for Gruta de Oliveira: just how they started a fire.
It has been suggested that the Neanderthals likely started fires striking flint rocks against other rocks to throw spars on a tinder-like in the Neolithic time. But if this was indeed the case, sadly there is nothing in the archaeology to confirm or deny it.
All the archaeologists have been able to do so far is release a statement saying “Perhaps they did as in Neolithic times, striking flint rocks against another rock to throw sparks on a tinder, such as a dry nest for example. This is a prehistoric technique that was discovered by studying Ötzi, the Ice Man. So far, however, we have found no evidence of this.”
Through their excavations, the archaeologists have uncovered over 30,000 years of history and have allowed themselves to compare the data with other sites in the area from the Upper Paleolithic period. They have begun to compare the site with one that has been known to be occupied by Homo Sapiens.
As it stands there is little differentiation between the sites, and it looks like the skills used were similar. This perhaps indicates that they were of a similar intelligence to the earliest Homo Sapiens, which would obviously turn traditional views of Neanderthals completely upside-down.
The findings are under continued investigation through the Portuguese team led by Joao Zilhao with a focus on the stone tools whilst Mariana Nabais is analyzing the bone remains. There s clearly much more to be learned from Gruta de Oliveira.
Top Image: The evidence at Gruta de Oliveira shows us that Neanderthals were the first to master fire, which they used for cooking. Source: AIHybrid / C BY-NC-ND 3.0 DEED.
By Kurt Readman
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