A comparative multivariate analysis of spatial clustering in Neanderthal and anatomically modern human occupations

Neanderthal and anatomically modern human (AMH) occupations have long been hypothesized to differ in spatial organization, yet multisite quantitative comparisons remain scarce. Here we use cluster modeling to quantify four spatial metrics (parent intensity κ, cluster scale s, cluster strength ϕ, and sibling probability p) from 21 Middle Paleolithic (MP) and Upper Paleolithic (UP) assemblages, spanning cave and open-air contexts. We combine these metrics into two principal axes-compactness vs. dispersion and clustering scale-and assess their relationship to cultural period, site context, hearth counts, and functionality through regression analyses. Our results show that cultural affiliation is the strongest and most consistent predictor: UP sites are significantly more compact than MP ones, independent of context or occupation features. This pattern suggests that AMH groups structured their living spaces in more spatially constrained and segregated ways, with implications for the evolution of camp organization, activity planning, and social cohesion. At the same time, we find marked variability within MP sites, with some Neanderthal occupations approaching the spatial compactness typical of UP sites. These results provide the first multivariate evidence that while broad differences exist between Neanderthals and AMHs, elements of 'modern' spatial behavior also emerged among Neanderthals, pointing to a more complex and overlapping processes of social and spatial organization in the Late Pleistocene.