Middle Palaeolithic subsistence: The role of hominins at Lynford, Norfolk, UK

Lynford is the best preserved late Middle Palaeolithic (MIS 3) site in the UK where organic deposits have yielded a large lithic and faunal assemblage. The fauna is dominated by mammoth with various other large-medium-sized species indicative of colder climates (woolly rhino, reindeer, bison, and wolf). The site has been interpreted as evidence of Neanderthal hunting and butchery of mammoth through the absence of long bones and high incidence of pathologies. Detailed taphonomic investigation has highlighted a reduced role for hominins in faunal accumulation at this location. The evidence from Lynford does not support the idea of habitual mammoth hunting at this locale. Instead this paper will document flexible and opportunistic subsistence behaviour by Neanderthals at Lynford. This interpretation has implications for understanding Neanderthal land use, seasonality and environmental awareness.