The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language,
4th edition, includes among its definitions of Neanderthal the slang
meaning "crude, boorish or slow-witted person." Recent evidence,
however, suggests that this usage perpetuates a misconception of these
early hominids and their lifestyle.
Neanderthals take their name from the Neander Valley in Germany, the location of an early
anthropological find that provided evidence of their existence. They ranged and hunted for about 250,000 years during the late
Pleistocene Epoch in the general area of modern Europe and west
Asia, fading into extinction approximately 28,000 years ago. In contrast
to their dull-witted reputation, Neanderthals were able to survive for a
quarter-million years in harsh and changing environments, proof of
their well-developed hunting skills. In contrast, our direct
human ancestors probably did not move into and survive in colder climates until about 40,000 years ago.
Neanderthals were portrayed as subhuman brutes by
most anthropologists of the 19th and early 20th century. This
characterization may have been influenced by the hominid's decidedly
nonhuman facial features, which included a large brow and nose, sloping
forehead, and receding chin. The subspecies was generally depicted as
having a hairy appearance, not unlike the mythical "
Bigfoot." Seen as little more than crude scavengers, Neanderthals were assumed to have been incapable of
language or finer
tool skills.
Human Origins and the Neanderthal
6:05 AM
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Countering the "brute" representation of the
Neanderthal is a 2003 study that found that the hominid's thumb and
forefinger could oppose, probably giving the subspecies significant fine
manual dexterity. In addition, recently discovered evidence suggests
that Neanderthals deliberately butchered
hunting kills with stone axes and knives and shared the proceeds of
the hunt in an organized way with their clan members. Some of the
unearthed cutting tools were fashioned to be hafted onto wooden shafts
or handles, while others show evidence of use for scraping hides, so
that the skins could be fashioned into clothes or shelters.
Additionally, Neanderthals appear to have had a sense of style and
color, using bone, ivory, and animal teeth as ornamentations.
Skeletal evidence suggests that Neanderthals
generally lived about 45 years and probably looked a great deal like
cold-adapted humans, such as
Eskimos. Short in stature with long trunks and arms, the Neanderthal
was stronger than a human of similar size, with a brain that was, on
average, slightly larger than that of modern humans. Skeletal remains
also indicate that multiple fractures were not uncommon among
Neanderthals. Indeed, the fact that some of these hominids survived
after disabling bone injuries indicates that the subspecies was capable
of sustaining long-term caring relationships. Neanderthals lived in
close groups of 10 to 15, which means that an individual could rely on
the help of his or her fellow group members during a period of
recuperation.
Pollen discovered near excavated remains indicates that the hominids
took care while burying their dead and incorporated the intentional use
of symbolic objects and flowers in the
burial.
Many have asked whether the Neanderthals are part of the
human genetic line. Research has focused on the "out-of-Africa"
versus "multiregional" theories of human development. Proponents of the
out-of-Africa view see all modern humans as descendants of an original
restricted
gene pool in central Africa. The multiregionalists, on the other
hand, see human origins as more diverse, resulting, they assume, from
genetic mixing, including with Neanderthals. Researchers have been
exploring Neanderthal mitochondrial
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) for clues of any interbreeding, but
there is considerable dispute as to whether or not these small samples
of bone DNA support the theory.
Whether Neanderthals do or do not form a part of our modern gene pool, they do represent another strand in the complex
evolution of modern humans. The Neanderthals in
ice-age central Europe, eating meat the clan had hunted, butchered,
and shared; living and caring in an extended group; and burying their
dead, were not, perhaps, so very different from us.
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