A reassessment of the faunal evidence for Neandertal diet based on some Western European collections

The faunal material from a number of Western European early Upper Pleistocene sites, caves, rock shelters and in the open air, has been re-examined in the light of research conducted over the last 10-15 years into patterns of post-mortem bone breakage and frequency of survival of different skeletal parts, on the basis of which it seems to be possible to distinguish bones accumulated by other carnivores from those reflecting human feeding behaviour. This taphonomic evidence suggests that it cannot be simplistically assumed that the faunal material recovered from an archaeological site invariably relates to human behaviour, frequently the bone assemblage appears to reflect other carnivore activity. It is further suggested that certain patterns of site usage can be delineated which may serve us in future to distinguish between potential carnivore dens and human activity areas. Finally, it is concluded that we know far less about the diet and food-getting behaviour of Homo sapiens than is currently assumed.