The Eemian Interglacial lake-landscape at Neumark-Nord (Germany) and its potential for our knowledge of hominin subsistence strategies

Geochronological and environmental studies show that two adjacent lake basins containing Middle Palaeolithic industries, Neumark-Nord 1 and Neumark-Nord 2 (Germany) both date to the early Corylus phase of the Eemian Interglacial, of ca. 125,000 years ago. Here hominins exploited a wide range of herbivores in a 26 ha lake landscape during a period that is often considered to be extremely challenging for Neandertals in terms of environmental conditions. We present the progressing faunal analysis of Neumark-Nord 2/2 and a new pilot study into the exploitation patterns of the Neumark-Nord 1 faunal assemblage, which clearly demonstrate the potential and importance of Neumark-Nord for the study of hominin subsistence strategies in Interglacial Landscapes.