An international study, published in the journal Scientific Reports by Nature Publishing Group, has revealed a new Neanderthal site in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Algarve coast of Portugal. More specifically, it describes the first traces of Neanderthal hominids in Portugal, representing a significant advance in our understanding of the human presence on the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula during the period known as the Pleistocene.

The work is led by Carlos Neto de Carvalho, geologist and palaeontologist at IDL-University of Lisbon and scientific coordinator of the Naturtejo UNESCO Global Geopark, with the participation of Fernando Muñiz Guinea, professor in the Department of Crystallography, Mineralogy and Agricultural Chemistry at the University of Seville. The study has also benefited from contributions from other universities and research centres in Portugal, Spain, Gibraltar, Italy, Denmark and China. It is an "interdisciplinary study on the ecological and behavioural analysis of the fossilised footprint record in southern Portugal," say Neto de Carvalho and Fernando Muñiz.

A unique window into everyday behaviour
The first Neanderthal footprints in Portugal were discovered in two different locations in the Algarve: Praia do Monte Clérigo, in rocks dating back some 78,000 years, and Praia do Telheiro, dating back 82,000 years. At Monte Clérigo, 5 tracks and 26 footprints have been identified, left by adults and children just over a year old on a steep slope of what was once a coastal dune. At Praia do Telheiro, an isolated footprint attributed to a teenager or adult female has been discovered, associated with other fossilised footprints of birds typical of coastal and rocky environments.

The study of Neanderthal footprints offers several unique and complementary advantages over other types of archaeological remains, such as bones or tools. These footprints, preserved in sediments or sedimentary rocks, constitute a direct record of the behaviour at a specific moment in time of the Neanderthals who produced them. The footprints show the physical presence of a Neanderthal in a specific place, unlike artefacts, which may have been transported or abandoned.

"Footprints record a specific moment, almost instantaneously, allowing us to reconstruct what was happening; for example, a group walk, a chase, a flight, or presence in a particular landscape. The footprints show how Neanderthals used space, how they explored coastal environments, forests, dunes or riverbanks, something that is difficult to infer solely from artefacts," argue Neto de Carvalho and Muñiz.

Through the number, size and arrangement of the footprints, it is possible to infer the minimum number of individuals present, their age range (children, adolescents, adults) or the possible division of tasks (e.g. a hunting party). Children and babies, who rarely leave archaeological traces, can be identified by their footprints (which are smaller), revealing more about the social structure: "footprints offer a unique and dynamic window into everyday behaviour: a snapshot of life tens of thousands of years ago," explain the authors.

The footprints studied by the research team indicate locomotion strategies adapted to the terrain, suggesting route planning, proximity to the camp, possible hunting behaviour and coexistence with other species. For example, one of the tracks shows the interaction between human footprints and those of a deer produced simultaneously, reinforcing the hypothesis of pursuit or ambush practices in a dune context.

A diet rich in deer, horses and hares
The research also uses ecological network analysis based on mathematical network theory to relate data from other known coastal archaeological sites in the Iberian Peninsula, confirming that the Neanderthal diet in these regions consisted mainly of deer, horses and hares, complemented by marine and coastal resources, indicating a diversified dietary strategy.

These new findings demonstrate that Neanderthals were more versatile and ecologically and cognitively adapted to coastal environments than previously believed, offering exceptional insight into their behaviour, mobility and social organisation.