Aranzadi confirms that the Neanderthals lived in the cave of St. Adrian

The Aranzadi Science Society has confirmed theexistence oftheNeanderthals in the cave of San  Adrian-Lizarrate . The archaeologists of that society have recovered pieces of Mousterian cultureover 40,000 years old in the site located in Gipuzkoa, on the skirt of Mount Aizkorri and near Álava.

Teams of archaeologists from Aranzadi have been digging at this site for two decades, and from the beginning they have had "positive results", since all these years they have found archaeological materials from the Middle Ages, the Bronze Age and the older ages (the Madeleine period, 14,000 years).

In August 2023, it was reported that evidence of the use of the tunnel had been found by the Neanderthals. They then stressed that for the first time traces of these humans had been found at an altitude of 1,000 metreson the Cantabrian side, and considered it an important fact, given the low temperatures on the continent at that time.

In a statement released this Thursday, Aranzadi explains that in July a team of about 10 volunteers and professionals dedicated to archaeology conducted "two very sakon" (nearly 3 meters)  , with the intention of finding prehistoric remains.

In the first poll, pieces have been found from the Madeleine period, that is, homo sapiensthat lived about 14,000 years ago. n the first poll, they have managed to reach very old clues : "They have found traces of a species other than ours, namely Neanderthals."

They often used the passage.

According to Jexux Tapia , director of the Aranzadi Science Society's Prehistoric Department, the materials found show that Neanderthals used San Adrian "frequently " during the warmest phase of the last glaciation, about 41,000 years ago, "not only occasionally."

Among the remains found, different types of rocks have been identified for the carving of cutting instruments; in the case of silex, varieties brought from Urbasa, Treviño and Flysch.

In his words, "that means that the Neanderthals took St. Adrian as a strategic gateway to nomadic journeys . "

In addition to stone remains, fragments of animal bones have been recovered, some of which belong to pieces consumed by Neanderthals, but there are also traces of other carnivores that occupied the cave, such as bears. 

"We must therefore distinguish between the bones corresponding to the prey captured by the Neanderthals and those carried by the carnivores, taking into account the fractures and marks observed in each bone."

Aranzadi foresees an increasing number of pieces in the layers where these remains have been found and hopes to recover a wider range of evidence in subsequent campaigns to interpret the activities of the Neanderthals in San Adrian.