Tortoises, Hares, Carnivorous Mammals — Menu Of Paleolithic Humans

Early humans of the Middle Paleolithic period, which lasted from about 2,50,000 to 30,000 years ago, and was characterised by flake tools and the widespread use of fire, consumed a more varied diet than previously thought. Their menu consisted of tortoises, hares, carnivorous mammals, and birds, at least occasionally, according to a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports. As part of the study, researchers from the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (SHEP) at the University of Tübingen analysed a site in the Zagros Mountains in Iran.

The study found that around 81,000 to 45,000 years ago, local hominins at that site consumed ungulates, which are hoofed, herbivorous mammals such as pigs, deer, cows, horses and elephants, along with tortoises, birds, and carnivores. 

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In a statement released by SHEP, Mario Mata-González, the first author on the paper, said various studies have shown that the hominins of the Middle Paleolithic fed primarily on ungulates, but there is increasing evidence that tortoises, birds, hares, fish, and carnivorous mammals were also on the menu of Neanderthals and their relatives, at least occasionally. He also said that not only are the Zagros Mountains the largest mountain range in Iran, but they are also considered a key geographical region for the study of human evolution in Southwest Asia in the Middle Age, due to the great environmental diversity and heterogeneous topography. 

Most archaeozoological finds from the mountains to date have been limited to ungulates, but the results from the Ghar-e Boof site show that the diet of local hominins also included carnivorous mammals and turtles. 

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Mata-González said that more than 75 per cent of the fauna at Ghar-e Boof consists of ungulates, from small to very large species, and that the researchers mainly found remains of wild goats and gazelles. However, they also documented smaller numbers of wild boar, red deer, horses, and wild cattle. 

The most frequent species whose fossils the researchers were able to recover from the 18-square-metre large excavation area was tortoise. 

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The researchers also identified bones of various bird species, and the remains of carnivores such as a large predatory cat, which was probably a leopard, and a red fox. The study found that the tortoises were roasted in their shells before being eaten. The researchers observed scorch marks on the external surfaces of the fossil tortoise shells, and this is how they interpreted that the tortoises were roasted in their shells.

In the statement, Professor Nicholas J Conard, the last author on the paper, said that the faunal remains from Ghar-e Boof are the first evidence that hominins in the southern Zagros Mountains consumed small game animals such as tortoises, birds and carnivores. 

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Some of the species were consumed only sporadically. Therefore, the findings show that the hominins of the Zagros region in the Middle Paleolithic had a more varied diet than previously assumed, and this is consistent with findings in other parts of Eurasia. 

The study concluded that the hunting behaviour of humans in the  Middle Paleolithic period in the Zagros was more diverse than previously thought.

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