09/2026 Dr. Linda Amos presents research on Neanderthal bird exploitation at Devil’s Tower Rock Shelter at the 30th Annual Calpe Conference

At the 30th AnnualCalpe Conference – Neanderthal: The Conference, held in Gibraltar from 2–5 September 2026, Dr. Linda Amos presented a talk titled "Neanderthal Bird Exploitation at Devil's Tower Rock Shelter: Integrating a Legacy Assemblage into the Gibraltarian Middle Palaeolithic". It presented the first detailed taphonomic analysis of the large avian assemblage from Devil's Tower Rock Shelter, excavated by Dorothy Garrod a century ago and previously studied only at the taxonomic level. Cutmarks and burning show deliberate and recurrent Neanderthal exploitation of birds across successive occupation layers, including both subsistence and feather acquisition. This brings Devil's Tower into line with Gorham's, Vanguard and Ibex Caves, giving a fuller picture of Neanderthal-bird interactions in Gibraltar.

Following her talk, she also gave an interview to the Gibraltar Chronicle, which can be read here.