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.2011 Jan 11;108(2):486-91.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.1016868108. Epub 2010 Dec 27.

Microfossils in calculus demonstrate consumption of plants and cooked foods in Neanderthal diets (Shanidar III, Iraq; Spy I and II, Belgium)

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Microfossils in calculus demonstrate consumption of plants and cooked foods in Neanderthal diets (Shanidar III, Iraq; Spy I and II, Belgium)

Amanda G Henry et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A..

Abstract

The nature and causes of the disappearance of Neanderthals and their apparent replacement by modern humans are subjects of considerable debate. Many researchers have proposed biologically or technologically mediated dietary differences between the two groups as one of the fundamental causes of Neanderthal disappearance. Some scenarios have focused on the apparent lack of plant foods in Neanderthal diets. Here we report direct evidence for Neanderthal consumption of a variety of plant foods, in the form of phytoliths and starch grains recovered from dental calculus of Neanderthal skeletons from Shanidar Cave, Iraq, and Spy Cave, Belgium. Some of the plants are typical of recent modern human diets, including date palms (Phoenix spp.), legumes, and grass seeds (Triticeae), whereas others are known to be edible but are not heavily used today. Many of the grass seed starches showed damage that is a distinctive marker of cooking. Our results indicate that in both warm eastern Mediterranean and cold northwestern European climates, and across their latitudinal range, Neanderthals made use of the diverse plant foods available in their local environment and transformed them into more easily digestible foodstuffs in part through cooking them, suggesting an overall sophistication in Neanderthal dietary regimes.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Triticeae cf.Hordeum (barley and close relatives) starch grains recovered from the dental calculus from Shanidar III compared with modernHordeum starch grains. Each box is 50 μm on a side. (A andB)Hordeum spp. starch grain from Shanidar tooth 4 under brightfield and cross-polarized light. (C) CookedHordeum spp. starch from Shanidar tooth 5. (D andE) Starch from modernHordeum hexastichon under brightfield and cross-polarized light. (F) Starch from modernHordeum vulgare (domesticated barley) boiled for 5 min.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Starch grains recovered from the dental calculus from Shanidar III. TheUpper image of each pair shows the starch under brightfield light, and theLower image shows it under cross-polarized light. Each box is 50 μm on a side. (A andB) Type 2. (C andD) Type 3. (E andF) Type 4. (G andH) Probable legume (Fabaceae) starch. (I andJ) Possible underground storage organ starch. Each box is 50 μm on a side.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Phoenix (date palm) phytoliths from the dental calculus from Shanidar III compared with modernPhoenix phytoliths. Each box is 50 μm on a side. (A) Phytolith from Shanidar tooth 3. (B) Phytolith from the fruit ofPhoenix reclinata. (C) Stalk phytolith fromP. reclinata. (D) Leaf phytolith fromP. reclinata. Note that the recovered phytolith most closely matches the fruit phytoliths.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Starch grains recovered from the calculus of Spy I and Spy II. TheUpper image of each pair shows the starch under brightfield, and theLower image shows it under cross-polarized light. Each box is 50 μm on a side. (A andB) Type 1, probable water lily starch. (C andD) Type 2. (E andF) Type 3.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
Starch grains from modern water lilies under brightfield and cross-polarized light. Each box is 50 μm on a side. (A andB)Nymphaea alba. (C andD)Nuphar lutea.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 6.
Additional starch grains recovered from the calculus of Spy I and Spy II. TheUpper image of each pair shows the starch under brightfield light, and theLower image shows it under cross-polarized light. Each box is 50 μm on a side. (A andB) Type 4, starch possibly from the Andropogoneae grass tribe. (C andD) Type 5. (E andF) Type 6, unusual starch grain.
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Comment in

  • Ancient starch: Cooked or just old?
    Collins MJ, Copeland L.Collins MJ, et al.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 May 31;108(22):E145, author reply E146. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1103241108. Epub 2011 May 4.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011.PMID:21543718Free PMC article.No abstract available.

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References

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