Neanderthals left clear traces of a crab-driven diet at a site far from the stereotypical hunter profile. Researchers published their findings in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, detailing how a coastal cave called Figueira Brava, located south of Lisbon, became a key context for understanding seafood consumption by late prehistoric communities. The excavation recovered a wealth of evidence beyond stone tools and charcoal, including a large assemblage of crab shells. The remains pointed to a consistent pattern of shell deposition that suggested a purposeful foraging strategy rather than incidental bycatch. The crabs represented belongs to large individuals, with adults capable of yielding substantial meat yields. Scientists estimated the size of the crabs by comparing shell diameter with the length of preserved claws, which offered reliable measurements when other body parts did not survive well in the archaeological record. Investigation of the shells and associated bone fragments focused on the specifics of shell rupture, looking for signs of deliberate butchery or impact, and on whether the crabs had experienced high temperatures that would indicate cooking or cooking-related processing.
From these analyses, Mariana Nabais and colleagues, affiliated with the Catalan Institute for Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution, concluded that the crabs found in the Fishera Brava assemblage were predominantly large adults, each capable of providing roughly 200 grams of edible meat. The team examined damage patterns on both shells and claws to determine which species or predators might have interacted with the carcasses after death. The absence of bite marks from mice, birds, or other animals suggested a limited scavenging pressure and reinforced the interpretation that Neanderthals actively retrieved and processed these crabs. Given the shell width measurements around 16 centimeters, researchers infer that the foraging technique likely involved targeting crabs when tidal conditions left them exposed and accessible to easier capture, rather than relying on opportunistic scavenging from stranded prey.
Beyond the foraging behavior, the study provides compelling evidence for the culinary use of crabs. Traces on the shells indicate heating that reached temperatures in the range of 300 to 500 degrees, a level consistent with direct cooking over fire or on hot stones. This observation aligns with broader claims about Neanderthal culinary practices, offering a clearer view of their ability to manipulate fire for meal preparation. The researchers explicitly challenge an outdated stereotype that portrays Neanderthals as mere scavengers dependent on large game carcasses, underscoring a more nuanced picture of their subsistence economy that included crustaceans as a meaningful dietary component.
Even with the compelling evidence for crab consumption, important questions remain. Scholars still debate why Neanderthals chose to rely heavily on crabs at this site, and what role shellfish played in their overall nutritional strategy compared with more familiar sources such as large terrestrial mammals. The distribution and context of crab remains suggest a deliberate selection of coastal resources, but the extent to which these choices were influenced by seasonality, labor organization, or cultural preferences remains a topic for ongoing research. The findings contribute to a growing body of evidence that Neanderthals possessed diverse foraging repertoires and sophisticated processing abilities, capable of exploiting a range of habitats and food types.
In a separate line of ancient archaeology, researchers note that 49 gold amulets were found on the mummy of an Egyptian boy, illustrating that diverse cultures across time produced personal ornaments with significant symbolic value, a reminder of the breadth of human creativity that spans continents and eras.