FUNDIME MIRI , ERINDA NDREÇKA , BESNIK REXHEPI, ANI BAJRAMI
KEYWORDS : Paleo-ethnobiology, Neanderthals, plants, animals, Balkans, Albania
ABSTRACT :
The hominini lineage which includes modern humans and our extinct relatives had considerable knowledge regarding the use of environmental resources to better adapt to the major ecological shifts that occurred during their evolutionary history which are reflected in dietary shifts related to plants and animals used for survival. Neanderthal fossils and tools are found in Europe and Western Asia, dating from 450,000 to 40,000 years ago. Recently, subsistence strategies and associated cultural adaptations have been intensively studied. In this article, we provide an overview of the recent findings of plants and animals used by Neanderthals from several geographic areas and periods. Additionally, we will consider Neanderthal settlement and dispersal, including Albania in the Balkan region, which offers a glimpse of their environmental adaptations and cognitive abilities. This short review is mostly focused on the interaction between biological and cultural factors concerning one of the many facets of survival problems, diet composition and breadth.