Twentieth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

The hominin lineage which includes modern humans and our extinct relatives had considerable knowledge regarding the use of environmental resources which is reflected in their dietary shifts related to plants and animals used for survival. Neanderthal fossils and tools were found in Europe and Western Asia, where they range in age from 450,000 to 40,000 years ago (Ma). Recently, Neanderthals modes of subsistence and cultural adaptations are intensively studied. We provide a brief review on the most recent findings of plants and animals used by Neanderthals from several different geographic areas and time periods: their knowledge, categorization of living world and biocultural interactions with diverse habitats. Additionally, we take into consideration Neandertal complex tool technology dispersal, including Albania, which offer a glimpse of their environmental adaptations and their cognitive abilities. Despite recent findings in paleo-ethnobiology our paper is focused on the interaction between biological and cultural factors (such as working tools), in relation to the recognition, categorization and the use of living world (environmental knowledge) aiming to solve two of many facets of survival problems, nutrition and health. Current evidence for dietary and medicinal use of plants and animals by Neanderthals help us in better understanding them and their relationship with the living world.