BC Life
Seasonal shellfish exploitation by Neanderthals 115,000 years ago
Asier García-Escárzaga et al.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2 June 2026
Abstract:
The southern coast of Europe has been at the center of archaeological debates contrasting the social and cognitive capabilities of Neanderthals and modern humans. Early evidence of marine resource exploitation by Neanderthals in this region challenged some views that coastal adaptation was a trait distinctive of modern human cognition and behavior. While it is now evident that Neanderthals exploited marine resources, the nature of their seasonal foraging strategies remains an open question. Here, we analyzed the oxygen isotope composition of mollusk shells collected by Neanderthals at Los Aviones Cave (Iberian Peninsula), demonstrating that they primarily exploited intertidal mollusks during the colder months of the year. This harvesting pattern anticipates the dominant seasonal exploitation strategies observed among later modern human populations in southern Europe, highlighting a degree of behavioral flexibility in Neanderthal use of coastal ecosystems.
New evidence for Early Pleistocene use of fire at Wonderwerk Cave (South Africa)
Dolores Marin-Monfort et al.
PLoS One, June 2026
Abstract:
Tracing the earliest evidence of burning in archaeological contexts is essential for understanding the emergence of fire use -- an innovation that underpinned critical behavioral and biological developments in the genus Homo. However, identifying unambiguous traces of early fire use remains challenging. To enhance detection of incipient burning in early occupation layers, we introduce a rapid, non-invasive protocol based on bone luminescence properties, validated through comparison with Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Using these methods, we provide evidence for fire use in two Early Pleistocene (Acheulean) deposits at Wonderwerk Cave (South Africa), extending the chronology of one of the world's earliest paleo-fire records. This combined approach improves the resolution with which early fire use can be identified and opens new avenues for investigating the emergence of pyrotechnology in deep time.
Neolithic Bodies in Vráble - 7000 year-old Headless Human Skeletons in an Enclosed LBK Settlement in South-West Slovakia
Martin Furholt et al.
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, forthcoming
Abstract:
We present here the extraordinary find of an Early Neolithic mass deposition of headless human bodies at the LBK settlement site of Vráble-Veľké Lehemby. While various scientific analyses are under way, we present the archaeological context of this find and preliminary osteological and taphonomic observations. We discuss these in the light of a patterned and meaningful depositional complexity in Vráble, which embeds into a larger corpus of human remains in ditches surrounding LBK settlements in central Europe. Furthermore, we discuss the significance of the find for the overall discourse on the crisis at the end of the LBK period with regard to the role of violence and the nature of Early Neolithic cosmologies.
Bone tool functionality in the Bronze Age copper mines of Great Orme (UK): Preliminary results
Olga Zagorodnia & Harriet White
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, June 2026
Abstract:
This pilot study examines 150 bone tool samples from the Bronze Age copper mines at Great Orme, Wales, one of Europe's most extensive prehistoric mining complexes. Through combined morphological, technological, and use-wear analyses (including scanning electron microscopy) the research investigates the manufacture and functional roles of bone implements in mining and possibly ore-processing. The assemblage includes wedges made from tubular bones, scoops fashioned from scapulae and pelvic bones, and rib tools, reflecting targeted selection of bone materials suited to specific tasks. Use-wear traces suggest these tools were used for splitting soft copper-bearing rock, scraping ore, and raking finely ground ore fractions. Comparative insights with contemporaneous Eurasian mining sites reveal both shared traditions and local adaptations. Despite the limited sample size, the study highlights the important contribution of organic tools in Bronze Age mining technologies and provides a foundation for further, more extensive research.
Pit-trap Hunting, Place-Making and Cosmic Reciprocity in Mesolithic Britain: The Excavation of a Substantial Pit Cluster at Linmere, Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire
Joshua Pollard et al.
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, forthcoming
Abstract:
Substantial pits of Mesolithic date are being recognised with ever greater frequency in lowland Britain and adjacent regions of continental Europe. Often without associated artefactual or faunal assemblages, but containing complex fill sequences, the purpose of these pits has proved difficult to establish. Here, we present the results of excavation on what is to date the largest cluster of substantial Mesolithic pits discovered in the British Isles, at Linmere, Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire. An important assemblage of faunal material was recovered from the pits. This, the morphology of the features, their landscape setting adjacent to a spring-fed stream system, and analogy with other large pit systems, are used to support an argument that these were pit-fall traps used in the hunting of the largest herbivores of the time: aurochs (wild cattle). Aggregation and feasting are implied by the character of this activity. Recuts in the partially silted pits, often containing deposits of animal bone, are linked to notions of spiritual reciprocity and commemoration. The creation and subsequent engagement with these pits is seen as tied into the construction and maintenance of social relations at scale (though gathering and consumption), along with matters of place-making, and relationship work with animals and spirits/meta-persons.