An Ice Age Killing Ground
About 125,000 years ago, during the Eemian interglacial period, the landscape of what is now central Germany was a shallow lakeside surrounded by a dense mixed-oak forest. This was the world of the Neanderthals, and at Neumark-Nord, they established a highly effective and long-running hunting ground. Discovered in the 1980s in a former lignite coal mine, the site has yielded an immense collection of animal bones—the remains of at least 172 large mammals—that show Neanderthal life and hunting strategy.
The primary targets were the largest land mammals of the Pleistocene: the straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus). These animals were enormous, with adult males reaching shoulder heights of 4 meters (13 feet) and weighing up to 13 tonnes. The fossil beds at Neumark-Nord contain the remains of approximately 70 of these elephants, providing clear evidence that Neanderthals could systematically hunt these megafauna. Besides elephants, the hominins also hunted aurochs (Bos primigenius), horses, and deer, demonstrating a broad subsistence base.
A Premeditated Hunt
The evidence at Neumark-Nord suggests they were not scavenging and toward deliberate, planned hunting expeditions. The sheer concentration of elephant remains in one location suggests that Neanderthal groups returned to this specific lakeshore for over two millennia to intercept and kill their prey. Analysis of the elephant teeth reveals that many of the animals were not local. Isotope data preserved in the molars record their movements, showing that some elephants had journeyed up to 300 kilometers before arriving at the lake where they were killed. This indicates the Neanderthals had an intimate knowledge of animal migration patterns and the regional geography.
The hunters showed a clear preference for older, solitary adult male elephants. This selection is a sign of sophisticated planning; these lone bulls were more predictable and less dangerous targets than a defensive family herd. After a successful kill, the Neanderthals processed the carcasses on-site in an organized manner. Cut marks on the bones show methodical butchery with flint tools. They broke open bones to get to the calorie-rich marrow and even appear to have rendered bone grease by crushing fragments and heating them in water, creating what researchers have called a prehistoric "fat factory". This systematic approach to maximizing nutrition from their kills shows planning and resource management previously unknown for the period.