Over 250 Neanderthal Footprints Reveal Clues to the Ancient Humans' Social Lives

[Judi Lynn]

By Nathaniel Scharping | September 10, 2019 3:15 pm



This is one of the Neanderthal footprints discovered at Le Rozel. (Credit: Image courtesy of Dominique Cliquet)

At first glimpse, it looks like the Neanderthals might have just vanished around the corner. Their footprints are engraved in the soft oceanside rock, like photographic negatives of their passage, seemingly ready to be swept away by the nearby ocean.

In reality, the impressions are around 80,000 years old, pressed into ancient sediments by a group of ancient humans and preserved by blowing sands. These footprints, 257 in all, were discovered in Normandy, France, and are the focus of a new analysis by researchers. They are revealing fresh insights into how Neanderthals lived, filling in gaps that bones and artifacts can’t speak to.

Walking Through Time
French scientists say they’re confident the footprints are of Neanderthal origin based on a few factors: the dimensions of the prints themselves (wide, and with a low arch) and the fact that Neanderthals were the only hominins known to be in Europe when they were laid down.

The footprints are located at a site called Le Rozel, on a peninsula on the country’s northwestern shore. The site was already known for its collection of preserved foot- and handprints from Neanderthals, as well as stone tools and butchered animal bones. Nearby caves were likely Neanderthal residences at various times.

More:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2019/09/10/neanderthal-footprints-le-rozel/