The Truth About Neanderthals and Early Humans

DNA suggests that the species split from one another more than 300,000 years ago, and Neanderthals continued to live in Eurasia up until 40,000 years ago!

People began to associate barbaric qualities with “cavemen” and early humans, which led to their portrayal as monsters and antagonists in horror films.

The Denisovans are named after the cave in Siberia where their DNA was discovered in 2010. It was extracted from the finger bone of a teenage female who died 195,000 years ago!

Their name comes from the German Neander Valley, where their remains were found in 1856. Their migration patterns were directed by the weather and availability of food.

Due to the lack of genetic diversity and the inheritance of detrimental traits, the Neanderthal species’ numbers dwindled, and they eventually disappeared altogether.

They tended to be on the short side, with males averaging about 5’4” and females clocking in at 5’, but also heavier on average than today.

Their cranial areas are somewhat sloped and much more oblong, and they have huge jaws to accommodate the larger teeth they had. They also have a noticeably larger nose.

They also probably had better night vision than we do, based on the size of their eye sockets and the part of the brain that processes sight.

This was partially due to the colder, less sunny environment they lived in, but some also carried genes for lighter skin and hair.

They did have a higher body fat percentage, but that was an adaptation to help them endure freezing winters and long stretches of food scarcity.

Nearly all of the recovered specimens showed some signs of injury or trauma, and for many of them, it was their cause of death.

It appears from their skeletons that young children were most likely put to work early (yikes!) which stunted their growth and often led to injury.

Evidence shows that Neanderthals used their teeth as tools. Men had more wear on their upper teeth, while ladies had more wear on their lower teeth, suggesting there were some contrasts in their assignments. Since certain Neanderthals were found with special apparel and adornments, experts believe they might have had a hierarchy in their group between elevated elites and more common folk.

However, nearly all of their diet consisted of meat, which they hunted from animals like mammoths, boars, and ancient cattle called aurochs.

They knew how to make fires, and could roast, boil, and even smoke meats. They also occasionally used plants and herbs to add flavor and variety to their cooking.

Other carnivores like wolves, bears, and even cave lions. Despite the obvious threat of becoming food themselves, Neanderthals had to also compete with predators for animals to hunt.

The Neanderthals were an imaginative species, with incredible craftsmanship found in a few spots around the world. Scientists and researchers have found evidence of sculptures, carvings, and even jewelry that shows Neanderthals were more creative than you’d think.

They could wield fire and build hearths. They were also talented weavers and used fibrous materials to construct nets, baskets, clothes, and even shoes.

To this day, leather workers use similar scraping and cutting tools to the ones Neanderthals used to prepare animal hides.

Graves and burial sites containing ancient remains have been discovered, leading scientists to believe that their dead were honored and celebrated in a ritualistic manner rather than abandoned carelessly.

Because their anatomy relating to speech is actually quite similar to modern humans, scientists think their methods of communication were closer to ours than to animals.

These weren’t just simple caves, either. They were hand-built structures with distinct rooms, each intended for specific uses like cooking, sleeping, social space, and storage.

They may not have been big on salads, but they used plants in a medicinal manner, both by eating them and using them as topical agents to relieve pain and infection.

A simple flute-like device made from bone was discovered in Slovenia and was thought to have been created by Neanderthals.

They were shown through art and fossil evidence to be an important part of the family unit and were often given more elaborate burial rituals.

When the man passed, he was old and had lost the majority of his teeth. His remains show that he probably had assistance crushing down his food so he could eat it. Moreover, his bones gave indications of joint pain and breaks, which means different individuals from his group would have needed to assist him with moving around.

It was once considered unimaginable that Neanderthals and humans could have interbred. Presently, researchers are examining archaic DNA and discovering that interbreeding among Neanderthals and humans did indeed happen. In fact, around 20% of modern humans have a portion of Neanderthal DNA.

Scientists have begun to understand that the origin of Neanderthals dates back to a specific evolutionary line. Thus, you can think of Neanderthals as distant cousins to the humans of modern day.

Numerous Neanderthal skeletons have demonstrated indications of injuries around the head and neck. A few years ago, experts asserted that the recurrence of these wounds would make Neanderthals somewhat like present-day rodeo cowboys. As of late, proof of these kinds of wounds in Pleistocene people that lived during a similar time as the Neanderthals has been found. This suggests that the Neanderthals were tough enough to withstand numerous head and neck injuries without experiencing trauma.

Neanderthals and Homo sapiens had a cross-over of a few thousand years during which time they co-existed on Earth. Evidence has been found that suggests the stone apparatuses used by Homo sapiens are in no way better or more functional than those made by Neanderthals. Indeed, they were on par with each other, a little like Apple and Microsoft.

Though they experienced plenty of injuries, that doesn’t mean the Neanderthals had poor coordination. They hunted enormous animals like reindeer and buffalo with simple spears. The Neanderthals utilized a technique for hunting that included sneaking up on prey and ambushing them. With that said, they displayed good coordination. The injuries resulted from the perils of life back then, not clumsiness.

The language would be unique, as would the capacity to understand and process information. Indeed, even in the Upper Paleolithic period, Europeans would have different intellectual capacities in comparison to the Neanderthals. Though we share a lot of similarities, in some ways, we have always been worlds apart.

A similar kind of circumstance would undoubtedly happen if a Neanderthal were to be brought back to life today. Since Neanderthals had a wide scope of intellectual capacities, they would be able to find their way through the modern world and discover a place for themselves where their unique talents and abilities would make sense.

While the Neanderthals were robust, they had neither the mass nor the physical attributes needed to become elite weightlifters or modern athletes. Their diet was generally meat-based, so they would not have had access to the vital nutrients needed to develop the fortitude for serious competitions and weightlifting.

The Neanderthals hunted huge creatures like deer, elephants, and mammoths, and they also had to defend themselves against the apex predators of the time. It wasn’t unusual for Neanderthals to be killed by their animal rivals. For these reasons, the Neanderthals worked in groups to keep themselves more secure. In doing so, they could remain safe and successfully chase their prey.

Archeologists see the Neanderthals as a prosperous species due to how they lived. They were able to thrive in conditions that were often harsh and unforgiving. The Neanderthals withstood more brutal environments than any other primates, and most modern people wouldn’t be able to live their life for even a week. They had opposable thumbs and certainly did not go extinct due to a lack of skills.

A Neanderthal skeleton that was discovered in 1909 had all the earmarks of being twisted around in a long-lasting slouch. Hence, the archeologist who found it thought that Neanderthals must be the missing connection between primates who swung through the trees, and modern people who walk upright. In truth, the skeleton belonged to a man who suffered arthritis. Later samples affirm that the Neanderthals walked upright as humans do.

We’ll never know exactly how a Neanderthal and a modern human would stack up in competition, and that’s alright. We can simply drop the old stereotypes and think of Neanderthals as our far-off cousins who displayed intelligence, creativity, and strength under testing conditions, helping to lay the foundation for our modern way of life.