Final answer:
The Neandertal dietary niche was traditionally seen as heavily meat-focused, but recent evidence, including zooarchaeology, dental calculus studies, and coprolite analysis, has revealed a more balanced omnivorous diet with a significant plant component. This reflects the more complex foodways during the Paleolithic era, characterized by variety and adaptability.
Step-by-step explanation:
Neandertal Dietary Niche and New Evidence
The traditional view of the Neandertal dietary niche suggests that they were primarily meat-eaters, with a diet largely consisting of large mammals. This perspective is drawn from analyses of stable isotopes in Neandertal bones which seemed to indicate high levels of meat consumption. However, recent evidence has challenged this view by revealing a more varied diet that included plant matter. Zooarchaeology and the study of coprolites (fossilized feces) have provided new insights, showcasing a more omnivorous diet that combined meat with significant amounts of plant-based foods.
Moreover, studies of dental calculus (plaque that has fossilized on teeth) have found trapped microfossils from plant foods, suggesting that Neandertals also consumed a variety of plants, seeds, and nuts. This contrasts with the prevailing meat-centric view and suggests a more adaptable and resilient diet that likely varied by region and season. In fact, the biological anthropological research indicates that actual Paleolithic diets were likely to consist of about 65 percent plant-based foods. The evidence not only reframes our understanding of Neandertal dietary practices but also provides a deeper insight into human evolution and our ancestral foodways.