Neanderthal diet at Vindija and Neanderthal predation: the evidence from stable isotopes

Abstract

Archeological analysis of faunal remains and of lithic and bone tools has suggested that hunting of medium to large mammals was a major element of Neanderthal subsistence. Plant foods are almost invisible in the archeological record, and it is impossible to estimate accurately their dietary importance. However, stable isotope (delta(13)C and delta(15)N) analysis of mammal bone collagen provides a direct measure of diet and has been applied to two Neanderthals and various faunal species from Vindija Cave, Croatia. The isotope evidence overwhelmingly points to the Neanderthals behaving as top-level carnivores, obtaining almost all of their dietary protein from animal sources. Earlier Neanderthals in France and Belgium have yielded similar results, and a pattern of European Neanderthal adaptation as carnivores is emerging. These data reinforce current taphonomic assessments of associated faunal elements and make it unlikely that the Neanderthals were acquiring animal protein principally through scavenging. Instead, these findings portray them as effective predators.

Figure 1

Bone collagen δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of Neanderthals and associated fauna from Vindija Cave, Croatia (Vi), dated to ≈28,500 years B.P. Included is a single faunal value from the site of Brno-Francouzská (Br), Czech Republic (≈24,000 years B.P.). Also plotted are faunal values from Ambrose (22) from ≈22,000–26,000 years B.P. sites in the Czech Republic: Dolní Vĕstonice II (Dv) and Milovice (Ml).