Gibraltar scientists contribute to major international study on Neanderthal coastal activity

Scientists from the Gibraltar National Museum have contributed to a new international study that sheds light on the close relationship between Neanderthals and coastal environments, with significant discoveries made along the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula.

The research, coordinated by Carlos Neto de Carvalho of the University of Lisbon and the Naturtejo UNESCO Global Geopark, includes the first hominin footprints attributed to Neanderthals in Portugal. It was conducted by a team of researchers from Portugal, Spain, Italy, Denmark, China and Gibraltar, including Dr Stewart Finlayson and Professors Geraldine and Clive Finlayson.

The findings offer new insights into Neanderthal presence during the Pleistocene, based on fossilised footprints uncovered in two locations in the Algarve: Praia do Monte Clérigo and Praia do Telheiro. The Monte Clérigo site, dated to approximately 78,000 years ago, revealed five trackways and 26 footprints, including those of adults and a toddler. At Telheiro, an isolated footprint likely made by a female adolescent or adult was found alongside bird prints.

The study highlights how footprints offer a direct record of behaviour at a specific moment in time. Unlike tools or bones, they cannot be transported and provide an immediate snapshot of activity such as walking, hunting or interacting with the environment. The presence of footprints from children, who are rarely represented in archaeological records, provides further insight into Neanderthal social structure.

Footprints from the Portuguese sites suggest behaviour adapted to coastal terrain, with signs of planned movement, possible hunting activity, and interactions with other species, such as deer. One trackway showed footprints of humans and deer made at the same time, supporting theories of ambush or pursuit hunting in dune environments.

The study also used ecological network analysis to link data from coastal archaeological sites across the Iberian Peninsula, including Gibraltar. It found that Neanderthal diets in these regions were diverse, primarily consisting of deer, horses, and rabbits, supplemented by marine resources.

Dr Finlayson said: “This important paper adds to our work in Gibraltar where we have been showing the extent to which Neanderthals exploited the coast and its resources. We have been privileged to have been invited to participate in this international study.”

“With recent links having been shown between the Gibraltar and French coastal Neanderthals, we have now turned our attention towards the Atlantic, with clear links with those living along the Portuguese coast. We are getting closer to understanding the dynamics of regional populations of Neanderthals for whom the coast was clearly vital.”

The Minister for Heritage, Dr John Cortes, said: “This latest publication by our team at the Gibraltar National Museum once again demonstrates the leading role that Gibraltar plays in the study of our ancient past.”

“Their work continues to gain international recognition and strengthens Gibraltar's reputation as a centre for world-class and cutting-edge research into Neanderthals.”

The full article is available online at: https://rdcu.be/euGAl.