Neanderthals Used Heat and Water to Extract Fat from Bones 125,000 Years Ago

Neanderthals in central Germany 125,000 years ago used a method of food preparation that involved systematically removing fat from the bones of large animals using water and heat.

Archaeological Findings

This practice was identified at the Neumark-Nord 2 archaeological site. The evidence suggests that Neanderthals processed bones by crushing them into fragments and boiling them to obtain bone grease, a nutrient-rich resource. This method is in addition to breaking bones to access marrow, a behavior observed in earlier hominins.

The research was published in Science Advances and conducted by researchers from MONREPOS (Leibniz Centre for Archaeology), Leiden University, and the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt.

"This was intensive, organized, and strategic," said Dr. Lutz Kindler, the study’s lead author. "Neanderthals were clearly managing resources with caution—planning hunts, transporting carcasses, and rendering fat in a task-specific area. They understood both the nutritional value of fat and how to access it efficiently."

Animal Remains and Processing

At least 172 large mammals, including deer, horses, and aurochs, were butchered at the site. The production of bone grease required large quantities of bone. Previously, this practice was thought to be limited to Upper Paleolithic modern humans. The findings suggest that such methods were used by Neanderthals much earlier than previously documented.

Site Context and Activities

The Neumark-Nord complex, discovered in the 1980s, represents a full interglacial ecosystem. Excavations from 2004 to 2009 identified several zones with different Neanderthal activities:

• Deer hunting and light butchering
• Processing of straight-tusked elephants
• Fat removal in a specialized area

Cut-marked remains of 76 rhinos and 40 elephants were also found at nearby sites such as Taubach.

"What makes Neumark-Nord so exceptional is the preservation of an entire landscape, not just a single site," said Prof. Wil Roebroeks of Leiden University. "We are seeing a range of Neanderthal behaviors within the same landscape."

Environmental Impact

The activities at Neumark-Nord may have had long-term environmental impacts. According to Prof. Roebroeks, large-scale hunting of slow-reproducing species likely affected the fauna in the region during the Last Interglacial period.

Implications for Understanding Neanderthals

The findings at Neumark-Nord provide evidence of Neanderthal planning, environmental management, and nutritional strategies in resource-limited settings.