Diverse bone-calcium isotope compositions in Neandertals suggest different dietary strategies - Archive ouverte HAL
Article Dans Une Revue Journal of Human Evolution Année : 2024

Diverse bone-calcium isotope compositions in Neandertals suggest different dietary strategies

La diversité des compositions isotopiques du Ca dans les os chez les Néandertaliens suggère des stratégies alimentaires différentes

Résumé

Zooarcheological and geochemical evidence suggests Neanderthals were top predators, but their adherence to a strictly carnivorous diet has been questioned. Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of calcium stable isotopes to evaluate trophic and ecological relationships. Here, we measure the 44/42Ca values in bone samples from Mousterian contexts at Grotte du Bison (Marine Isotope Stage 3, Yonne, France) and Regourdou (Marine Isotope Stage 5, Dordogne, France) in two new Neanderthal individuals, associated fauna, and living local plants. We use a Bayesian mixing model to estimate the dietary composition of these Neanderthal individuals, plus a third one already analyzed. The results reveal three distinct diets: a diet including accidental or voluntary consumption of bone-based food, an intermediate diet, and a diet without consumption of bone-based food. This finding is the first demonstration of diverse subsistence strategies among Neanderthals and as such, reconciles archaeological and geochemical dietary evidence.
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Dates et versions

hal-04659304 , version 1 (22-07-2024)

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Pierre-Jean Dodat, Emmanuelle Albalat, Vincent Balter, Christine Couture-Veschambre, Maurice Hardy, et al.. Diverse bone-calcium isotope compositions in Neandertals suggest different dietary strategies. Journal of Human Evolution, 2024, 193, pp.103566. ⟨10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103566⟩. ⟨hal-04659304⟩
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