Neanderthals Possibly Hunted Mammoths

British archeologists have found an Ice Age site they hope could provide the strongest evidence yet that Neanderthals hunted mammoths. Finds at the dig near Thetford in East Anglia, England, included remains of mammoths, woolly rhinoceros and reindeer in close proximity to several hand axes, thought to be for butchering animals. The 50,000-year-old site, centering on a group of ponds, is thought to have been a watering hole where Neanderthals, predecessors of modern humans, may have herded in or awaited their prey.

Scientists have hotly debated whether the squat, muscular Neanderthals actually hunted large animals rather than scavenging dead ones for meat. “This is the best evidence we’ve ever had for a Neanderthal kill site; certainly in Britain, but it is also one of the best in Europe,” said David Miles, English Heritage’s chief archeologist.