Editorial: Neanderthal Complex Behaviour Through the Lens of Faunal Resources

Mariana Nabais^1,2*Ruth Blasco³

• ¹Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Tarragona, Spain
• ²Universidade de Lisboa Centro de Arqueologia, Lisbon, Portugal
• ³Instititut Catala de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolucio Social, Tarragona, Spain

The longstanding view of Neanderthals as ecologically inflexible and behaviourally limited hominins has been challenged in recent decades. Modern zooarchaeological and taphonomic research has revealed a variety of complex behaviours among Neanderthal populations across Europe and the Levant, decisively overturning the notion that advanced subsistence and technological strategies were Their microscopic and macroscopic cut-mark analyses uncover culturally distinct butchery strategies despite comparable faunal compositions and lithic technologies. Amud Neanderthals appear to have favoured an intensive butchery strategy that broke bones into many fragments and left dense cut-mark concentrations on small ungulates; while Kebara Neanderthals displayed more standardised, systematic carcass processing. These differences are best interpreted as evidence for cultural traditions and socially transmitted practices, rather than purely ecological responses, highlighting the social and cognitive complexity of these groups.Finally, the contribution by Cobo-Sánchez et al. at Escoural Cave, located in Portugal, employs an innovative blend of traditional taphonomic methods and machine learning approaches to disentangle human from carnivore agency in faunal assemblages. Their analysis of leporid remains points convincingly to lynxes and other small carnivores as the primary accumulators, finding no clear evidence of Neanderthal small-game exploitation at this site. Beyond its finds, the study exemplifies how advanced computational models can enhance our understanding of complex site-formation processes, setting new methodological standards for zooarchaeological investigations.Taken together, the papers assembled in this volume demonstrate the rich potential of zooarchaeological research for better revealing the complex behavioural signatures of Neanderthals.From experimental archaeology to genetic dietary inferences and advanced computational modelling, the breadth of methodological innovation on display here reaffirms the central role of faunal studies in Palaeolithic archaeology. Crucially, the contributions show that Neanderthals were neither ecologically naïve nor behaviourally impoverished. Rather, they emerge as sophisticated, adaptable hominins whose interactions with faunal resources rivalled, and in some cases anticipated, patterns seen in their AMH contemporaries.This collection challenges us to transcend outdated evolutionary hierarchies that diminish Neanderthal capacities. It advocates instead for a perspective that recognises them as creative, resilient and contextually responsive members of the human lineage. We hope that this volume stimulates further dialogue and research, encouraging scholars to continue exploring the zooarchaeological record as a window onto the subtle, diverse and complex worlds inhabited by Neanderthals.