Central Europe played a far more significant role in Neanderthal history than previously understood, serving as a major corridor for migration, population exchange and social interaction, according to a new international study of fossil remains discovered in southern Poland.
The research, published in the journal Current Biology, presents the first genetic reconstruction of a group of Neanderthals that lived north of the Carpathian Mountains between approximately 120,000 and 92,000 years ago.
Scientists analysed nine teeth recovered from Stajnia Cave, identifying remains from at least seven and possibly as many as nine individuals. The collection is believed to represent the oldest genetically and anthropologically well-defined group of Neanderthal fossils yet discovered in Central Europe.
The study, titled First Multi-Individual Neanderthal Mitogenomes from North of the Carpathians, involved nearly 30 researchers from around the world, including anthropologist and anatomist Paweł Dąbrowski of Wrocław Medical University.
Analysis of mitochondrial DNA extracted from the teeth revealed that the individuals belonged to a genetic lineage previously identified across a vast area of Eurasia, stretching from southeastern France and the Iberian Peninsula to the Caucasus. The findings suggest that present-day Poland formed part of a broad network of Neanderthal movement during Marine Isotope Stage 5, a period spanning the transition from the Middle to the Late Pleistocene.
“The research covered nine teeth discovered in Stajnia Cave, currently the most important Palaeolithic site in this part of Europe,” Dąbrowski said. “From eight samples, we obtained complete or nearly complete mitochondrial genomes, allowing us to determine both the minimum number of individuals represented and, in three cases, close genetic relationships between them.”
The group included adults, adolescents and children. Three of the teeth contained identical mitochondrial DNA, indicating a shared maternal lineage and potentially close family ties.
Researchers combined DNA sequencing, radiocarbon dating and detailed morphological analysis to determine the age and identity of the remains. The multidisciplinary approach was necessary because geological and climatic processes had disturbed the cave’s sediment layers over thousands of years.
While the genetic evidence sheds new light on Neanderthal population history, questions remain about the role Stajnia Cave played in the prehistoric landscape.
“Was it a temporary campsite, a shelter where groups gathered for specific purposes, or something else entirely?” Dąbrowski asked.
Located on elevated terrain, the cave may have served as a strategic observation point for tracking animal movements and could have been part of a broader hunting system used by Neanderthal communities.
Another mystery concerns the absence of other skeletal remains. Researchers suggest that acidic cave conditions and moisture may have destroyed most biological material over time, leaving only tooth enamel, the most durable part of the skeleton, intact.
An alternative explanation points to animal activity. Predators may have used the cave as a feeding site, with Neanderthals occasionally becoming prey. In such circumstances, teeth could have been the only remains capable of surviving digestion and subsequent fossilisation.
Beyond its genetic discoveries, the study contributes to a growing reassessment of Neanderthals, who were long portrayed as primitive and intellectually inferior to modern humans.
According to Dąbrowski, such perceptions were shaped by outdated early 20th-century reconstructions and scientific misconceptions. Evidence now suggests Neanderthals were physically powerful, agile hunters capable of manufacturing specialised weapons for close-range attacks on large animals.
Archaeological findings from across Europe indicate they cared for injured individuals and may have performed sophisticated medical procedures, including amputations and dental interventions. One tooth from Stajnia Cave showed signs of what researchers believe may have been deliberate extraction, possibly to relieve severe pain caused by periodontal disease.
Scientists also note that Neanderthals maintained complex social relationships and possessed anatomical adaptations associated with speech and fine motor skills.
Their influence remains visible today. Genetic exchange between Neanderthals and modern humans occurred after prolonged contact in Europe and the Middle East around 45,000 years ago, leaving traces of Neanderthal DNA in many present-day populations outside Africa.
Some inherited genetic variants have been related to metabolic conditions like insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes risk. Researchers say that those traits that were advantageous for mobile hunter-gatherers during periods of food shortages may not be as relevant for modern sedentary lifestyles.
The team plans to continue to analyse material from Stajnia Cave using nuclear DNA to find out more about sex, kinship structures and social organization of the Neanderthal group.
The results not only confirm the presence of Neanderthals in present-day Poland but also establish Central Europe as a key region in the evolution and population history of the species.
Header Image Credit : Paweł Dąbrowski
Sources : PAP
