All articles tagged with #prehistoric hunting
Scientists discovered 78,000-year-old Neanderthal footprints in Portugal, revealing insights into their hunting practices and social behavior, including a family group likely stalking deer, which highlights the importance of coastal environments in their survival strategies.
Two new studies challenge the traditional notion that men were the primary hunters in prehistoric times, suggesting that women were likely the superior hunters. Physiological advantages such as women's better endurance, hormone levels, and skeletal structure make them well-suited for the arduous task of hunting. Archaeological evidence also shows that women suffered hunting-related injuries and were buried with hunting equipment, indicating their active participation in hunting. The researchers aim to correct the historical erasure of women's role in hunting and challenge the idea of female physical inferiority.
University of Delaware anthropology professor Sarah Lacy challenges the traditional narrative that men were hunters and women were gatherers during prehistoric times. Lacy's research, published in Scientific American and American Anthropologist, found little evidence to support the idea that roles were assigned specifically to each sex. The study also examined female physiology and concluded that women were physically capable of hunting. The team highlighted the role of estrogen in conferring advantages to women in activities requiring endurance, which were essential to hunting. Lacy hopes her view that labor was divided among both sexes will become the default approach for future research.