Vanguard Cave, Gibraltar. This cave was the site of major archaeological excavations between 1995 and 2000. The findings were compared with those from nearby caves, and contributed particularly to our understanding of Neanderthal habitats and lifestyles. Neanderthals are extinct relatives of humans that lived in Europe between 300,000 and 24,000 years ago. The Gibraltar cave findings showed that Neanderthals had a highly omnivorous diet, cutting meat from animals like deer and tortoises as well as eating plant material.