28 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Neanderthals caused ecosystems to change 125,000 years ago

Researchers say Neanderthals changed the ecosystem by turning forests into grasslands 125,000 years ago.

Around 125,000 years ago, these close human relatives transformed a largely forested area bordering two central European lakes into a relatively open landscape, says archaeologist Wil Roebroeks of Leiden University in the Netherlands, and his colleagues.

They discovered a clear imprint of Neanderthal activity in the area around the Neumark-Nord site, a dig location in the Geisel Valley in Saxony-Anhalt that dates back about 125,000 years, according to a study published Wednesday in Science Advances.

According to their results, activities including hunting, animal processing, toolmaking, and fire use may explain why the region’s woods were removed during this era compared to vegetation surrounding other neighboring lakes.

‘The question is, of course, whether it became open because of the arrival of hominins, or whether hominins came because it was open? However, we have found sufficient evidence to conclude that hunter-gatherers kept the area open for at least 2,000 years.’ Comparative research conducted by Leiden palaeobotanist Professor Corrie Bakels has shown that at similar lakes in the area, where the same animals roamed, but where there are no traces of Neanderthals, the dense forest vegetation remained largely intact.

Numerous stone artifacts such as these, unearthed at the Neumark-Nord site in Germany, contributed to a reconstruction of Neandertals’ environment-altering behaviors over a span of around 2,000 years.
Numerous stone artifacts such as these, unearthed at the Neumark-Nord site in Germany, contributed to a reconstruction of Neandertals’ environment-altering behaviors over a span of around 2,000 years. Photo: EDUARD POP/LEIDEN UNIVERSITY 

The researchers compared the data with two other nearby locations that are also located in the eastern region of the Harz Mountains in Germany, they said.

While pollen composition and levels at these other locations imply a closed, wooded environment, pollen measurements from Neumark-Nord show more open vegetation, a pattern that contradicts the rest of the region, according to the researchers.

The findings, when combined with charcoal data and earlier evidence of the existence of Neanderthals in the area, implying that early human hunter-gatherers left a lasting impression on the region’s ecology, according to the researchers.

Until recently, it was widely assumed that people began to influence their environment around 10,000 years ago, when they began to cultivate agriculture, for example, by chopping down forests to make fields. Many archaeologists believe it began much earlier, on a lesser scale, and Neumark-Nord is the first evidence of such intervention, according to Roebroeks.

According to Roebroeks, the new study findings are crucial not just for archaeology but also for fields such as ecological restoration. ‘ It also contributes to our understanding of early hunter-gatherer behavior. They weren’t just “primal hippies” roaming the countryside gathering fruit and hunting animals. They helped shape their landscape.

W. Roebroeks et alLandscape modification by Last Interglacial NeanderthalsScience Advances. Published online December 15, 2021. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj5567.

Cover Photo: WIL ROEBROEKS/LEIDEN UNIVERSITY

Related Articles

In Russia, archaeologists 2100-Year-Old Medallion of Goddess Aphrodite and a warrior tomb unearthed

30 October 2022

30 October 2022

Archaeologists have unearthed a silver medallion depicting the Greek goddess Aphrodite (Roma Venüs) in a 2100-year-old grave of a priestess...

Drought accelerated Hittite Empire’s collapse

9 February 2023

9 February 2023

Researchers have offered new insight into the abrupt collapse of the  Hittite Empire in the Late Bronze Age, with an...

4,000-year-old settlement found during Balasore town India

9 July 2021

9 July 2021

A 4,000-year-old settlement and ancient artifacts have been discovered in the Balasore district, India. The Odisha Institute for Maritime and...

Britain’s Largest Iron Age Gold Coin Hoard: A Possible Tribute to Julius Caesar?

16 May 2025

16 May 2025

In a stunning revelation, British authorities have recently announced the discovery of an unparalleled Iron Age coin hoard, a singular...

Archeologists discovered a treasure trove at the bottom of an ancient Roman bathhouse drain near Hadrian’s Wall

1 February 2023

1 February 2023

Archeologists in Carlisle, England, discovered a treasure trove at the bottom of the drain system of an ancient Roman bathhouse...

Nearly 1,000-year-old Native American canoe recovered from Lake Waccamaw

18 April 2023

18 April 2023

A 1,000-year-old Waccamaw Indian dug canoe was retrieved from Lake Waccamaw near Wilmington, North Carolina after it was discovered by...

Unique semi-mummified body tomb discovered in Pompeii

17 August 2021

17 August 2021

A semi-mummified skeleton was discovered in the Porta Sarno necropolis, which is located east of Pompeii’s city center and is...

Crusade period grave field and a sword discovered in Finland

15 October 2023

15 October 2023

A large cemetery from the time of the Crusades was discovered near a medieval stone church in Salo Perttel, a...

Excavations show the Temple of Poseidon at Samikon is more Monumental than Previously Assumed -New Discoveries

3 November 2024

3 November 2024

New excavations by archaeologists from the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Greek Ministry of Culture in Kleidi-Samikon in the...

In Cyprus, an important early Christian site has been discovered

12 September 2021

12 September 2021

An important Christian settlement was discovered with mosaics bearing clear inscriptions in Greek during the excavations carried out by the...

Hebrew University Archaeologists have Unveiled 7,000-year-old Seal İmpressions

10 June 2021

10 June 2021

Israeli archaeologists unveiled a 7,000-year-old clay seal impression used for commerce and protection of property, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem...

Thousand-year-old bone skate discovered in Czech Republic

20 March 2024

20 March 2024

Archaeologists from the central Moravian city of Přerov, Czech Republic have announced a unique discovery. While carrying out excavations in...

A surprising discovery in Lublin countryside! Ancient figurines of Egyptian and Roman gods found

6 May 2023

6 May 2023

Two ancient figurines depicting the Egyptian god Osiris and a bust of the Roman god Bacchus were found in the...

Archaeologists Find One of the Long-Lost Holy Cities in Jordan

13 July 2025

13 July 2025

A remarkable archaeological discovery in Jordan has brought one of the Holy Land’s long-lost cities back to light. Researchers now...

Possible Location of Medieval Knight Zbylut’s Manor Identified Alongside Discovery of Unknown Burial Crypts

26 April 2025

26 April 2025

In a remarkable archaeological find, researchers have uncovered previously unknown burial crypts within the Gothic Church of St. James the...