Archaeologists discovered that Neanderthals processed fat from bones 125,000 years ago, a technique used by modern humans for at least 28,000 years. This process involved breaking bones into segments, boiling them to extract fat, which is crucial for a balanced diet, especially in lean seasons. Excavations near Leipzig, Germany, unearthed a significant number of bone fragments from large animals, indicating a sustained operation to render fat. Despite no direct evidence of boiling, indicators of fire were found alongside the bone cluster, which has been termed a 'fat factory.'
Bones were broken down into small segments using stone hammers and were boiled to extract fat, which rose to the top and could be extracted after cooling.
Fat is a vital component of the hunter-gatherer diet, especially during the winter months, when animals are lean and hunted meat alone is not sufficient for sustenance.
The team analysed material from Neumark-Nord near Leipzig, Germany: a former lake landscape that has yielded artefacts left by humans and their ancient relatives dating back 400,000 years.
Many of the bones were scattered around the site, but the researchers found a dense cluster of marrow-rich bones that they describe as a 'fat factory'.
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