Archaeologists have found evidence that hominins already manipulated the landscape 125,000 years ago.

Deforestation is – unfortunately – the order of the day. Between 2005 and 2017, five million hectares – that is an area larger than the entire surface of the Netherlands – of tropical forests are said to have been converted every year for the cultivation of agricultural products. We don’t get this behavior from a stranger, it turns out. Because Neanderthals, our distant relatives, also used fire about 125,000 years ago to manipulate the landscape.

Quarry

The researchers based their findings on excavations in a lignite quarry near the German city of Halle. This quarry, called Neumark-Nord, has been the site of archaeologists’ research for decades. As a result, we now have a fairly good idea of ​​what the environment must have looked like in times gone by. For example, the quarry was located in a wooded area about 125,000 years ago. Not only did horses, deer and cattle roam the area, but elephants, lions and hyenas are also said to have lived here.

Neanderthals

Many traces of Neanderthals were also found during the excavations. “We found, among other things, the remains of hundreds of slaughtered animals, surrounded by countless stone tools and an enormous amount of charcoal remains,” says researcher Wil Roebroeks.

Open spaces

However, when Neanderthals appeared in the area, the closed forest gave way to large open spaces, partly due to fires. A pressing question is, of course, whether these open spaces arose because of the arrival of hominids, or the other way around: did the hominids move to the area because it was open? “However, we have now gathered enough evidence to conclude that hunter-gatherers single-handedly kept the area open for at least 2,000 years,” Roebroeks said.

Comparative research

This conclusion is partly based on comparative research. Leiden researcher Corrie Bakels concluded that in areas similar to Neumark-Nord, where the same animals roamed but no traces of Neanderthals have been discovered, the dense forest vegetation remained largely intact. This means that Neanderthals may have started fires and kept their habitat bare. In this way they exerted a great influence on their local environment.

deforestation

All in all, it seems that Neanderthals – just like us – have been deforesting and shaping their habitat long ago. An interesting discovery. The prevailing theory was that humans only began to shape their environment about 10,000 years ago. Trees then had to make way for fields for the emerging agriculture. Yet many archaeologists suspected that it may have started much earlier, albeit on a smaller scale. And according to Roebroeks, Neumark-Nord is the earliest example of this.

Nature restoration

“The new research results are not only important for archaeology,” emphasizes Roebroeks. “The findings are also interesting for disciplines involved in, for example, nature restoration. In addition, it adds to the behavioral spectrum of early hunter-gatherers. They weren’t just “primordial hippies” roaming the countryside picking fruit here and there or hunting animals. They really shaped their landscape.”

The story may have an interesting twist. An earlier study by Roebroeks has shown that hominins may have known what to do with fire as early as 400,000 years ago. “We would therefore not be surprised if we find traces in future research that indicate that hominids had a major impact on their environment much earlier,” says Roebroeks. “At least, on a small scale.”