Fossilized footprints dating back some 80 years discovered on the Algarve coast reveal how Neanderthals moved, hunted and exploited coastal environments – and show a diverse diet based on deer, horses, rabbits and marine resources.
New research along the southern coast of Portugal has uncovered signs of ancient human presence, challenging long-held beliefs about how our prehistoric relatives lived and moved around.
A new Neanderthal footprint site discovered on the Algarve coast of Portugal has revealed the first fossilized Neanderthal footprints in this region.
A new international study published in the journal Scientific Reports has identified a previously unknown Neanderthal site in southern Portugal, along the Algarve coast. The discovery constitutes the first evidence of Neanderthal hominins in Portugal, and marks an important step forward in understanding early human activity along the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula during the Pleistocene.
The research was led by geologist and paleontologist Carlos Neto de Carvalho from the IDL–Universidade de Lisboa and Scientific Center of Geopark Naturtejo (UNESCO Global Geopark), together with Professor Fernando Muñiz Guinea from the Department of Crystallography, Mineralogy and Agricultural Chemistry at the University of Seville. The project also involved experts from institutions in Portugal, Spain, Gibraltar, Italy, Denmark and China.
According to Neto de Carvalho and Monis, this is an "interdisciplinary study for the ecological and behavioral analysis of the fossil footprint record in southern Portugal."
A unique window into daily behavior
The researchers identified the first Neanderthal footprints in Portugal at two sites along the Algarve coast: Praia do Monte Clérigo, where the rocks date back to about 78 years ago, and Praia do Telheiro, which dates back to about 82 years ago. At Monte Clérigo, the scientists documented five track sequences and 26 individual footprints left by both adults and young children, some as young as a year old, on a steep slope that was once part of a coastal dune. At Praia do Telheiro, a single footprint, likely that of a young girl or adult woman, was identified, along with fossilized bird footprints typical of ancient coastal and rocky environments.
The study of Neanderthal footprints has unique and complementary advantages over other types of archaeological finds, such as bones or stone tools. These footprints, preserved in soft sediments or sedimentary rocks, are a direct record of the behavior of the Neanderthals who left them at a specific moment in time. Footprints indicate the physical presence of a Neanderthal in a specific location, unlike artifacts (such as stone tools) that may have been transported or abandoned far from their place of use.
"Footprints record a specific, almost instantaneous moment, allowing us to reconstruct what happened – for example, a group walk, a chase, an escape, or the mere presence in a particular landscape. Footprints show how Neanderthals used space, how they explored coastal environments, forests, dunes, or riverbanks – something that is very difficult to infer from artifacts alone.", explain Neto de Carvalho and Monis.
Through the number of footprints, their size, and their spatial arrangement, it is possible to deduce the minimum number of individuals present, their age range (children, adolescents, adults), and even hints at the division of roles (e.g., a group going hunting). Children and infants, who leave almost no other archaeological traces, can be identified by smaller footprints – and these reveal additional information about the social structure: "Footprints offer a unique and dynamic window into everyday behavior – a snapshot of everyday life tens of thousands of years ago", the authors explain.
The footprints studied by the team indicate movement strategies adapted to the local topography, suggesting route planning, proximity to camp, possible hunting behavior, and coexistence with other species. For example, one of the track sequences records an interaction between human footprints and moose tracks made at the same time, which reinforces the hypothesis of a chase or ambush in the context of a coastal dune.
A menu rich in deer, horses and rabbits
The study also used ecological network analysis based on mathematical network theory to link data from other coastal archaeological sites in the Iberian Peninsula. The analysis confirms that the diet of Neanderthals in these areas was mainly based on deer, horses and rabbits, while at the same time being supplemented with marine and coastal resources – a diet that indicates a diverse and flexible strategy.
These new findings show that Neanderthals were more diverse and better adapted – ecologically and cognitively – to coastal environments than previously thought. The results provide extraordinary insights into their behavior, mobility, and social organization.
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Did they find some kind of shtreimel or black fur hat there?
But religious people claim that the world has only existed for 6000 years hahahaha
Not surprising. Neanderthals originated in Europe. So there are also in Portugal. Homo erectus reached both China and Java. Since all of us Neanderthals, Homo sapiens and Siberian man are all varieties of Homo erectus, so they reached everywhere.