Neanderthals likely developed distinct food preparation traditions that varied between groups. Excavations at two caves in what is now northern Israel indicate that these ancient inhabitants had unique methods for processing similar types of prey.

Contrary to popular belief, Homo sapiens were not the first to prepare and cook food. Evidence shows that Neanderthals, who thrived in Europe and Asia until approximately 40,000 years ago, hunted, cooked a diverse array of animals, and employed flint tools to enhance their meals with wild herbs.

For further insights into Neanderthal cuisine, see Analle Jaron from Hebrew University in Jerusalem and her team, who investigated findings at the Amdo and Kebara caves.

Located merely 70 km apart, these sites provide a unique lens through which to examine cultural differences among Neanderthals. The stone tools, remnants of food, and hearths uncovered at both locations suggest that these groups occupied the caves concurrently, possibly during winter months.

As Jaron remarks, “The same animal species were being hunted, set against a similar landscape. The weather conditions were alike, and both Neanderthal groups primarily feasted on gazelles and some fallow deer.”

However, notable differences were also present. For instance, bone evidence indicates that larger prey was favored in the Kebara cave, where more substantial animals were brought in and processed.

Jaron and her colleagues utilized microscopic analysis to study bone remnants from the sediments dated between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago, examining cut marks made by stone tools.

They discovered that while the flint tools were similar across both sites, the patterns of cut marks varied. “The cuts in Kebara displayed a greater fluctuation in width and depth, while in Amdo, they were concentrated in large clusters, often overlapping,” Jaron explains.

To determine whether these discrepancies influenced hunting practices, the researchers focused on the long bones of gazelles from both sites, which exhibited similar variations.

“We’re discussing two groups living in close proximity that both butchered the same type of meat, but it appears that at one site, the meat was processed closer to the bones.” says Ceren Kabukcu from the University of Liverpool, UK.

Past studies examining bone cut marks from later human societies indicate that the variations observed in Neanderthal butchery are not merely due to a lack of skills or difference in technique. It’s not a matter of expertise; it’s a difference in approach.

Jaron posits that these contrasts are likely a result of intentional choices regarding butchering methods. She suggests that Neanderthals in Amdo may have preferred to prepare their meat in ways that preserved it, such as drying or hanging before cooking.

“In the context of opportunistic behavior in slaughtering, one would expect the most efficient methods to be employed to maximize utility; nevertheless, it appears that cultural or social factors played a more significant role,” Jaron states. “This might relate to the group’s practices, passed down through learning and generations.”

“The existence of differences and the subtlety in technological usage in daily life isn’t entirely surprising,” notes Kabukcu. “As research deepens, we may uncover more nuances across various Paleolithic sites, even in China.”

It remains uncertain whether the caves were inhabited simultaneously or if different groups intermingled. “They could have been occupied at the same time or separated by hundreds of years. There’s no definitive way to ascertain that,” Jaron adds.

Nonetheless, she points out that the pronounced clustering of cut marks in Amdo is consistent across both the oldest and youngest sediment layers, suggesting that groups returning to the cave may have maintained similar butchering practices over centuries.