{Anthropology

So what’s a caveman anyway?

Mr. DeaneDecember 4th 2012

Homo neanderthalensis

orHomo sapiens

neanderthalensis?

A recent genetic study suggests that yes, in areas where ancient H. sapiens and Neanderthals coexisted, there was interbreeding between the species.

Could we have bred with Neanderthals?

However, the data suggest that while male Neanderthals may have had offspring with female H. sapiens sapiens, female Neanderthals probably did not produce offspring with male H. s. sapiens.

130 000ya – 30 000ya

Mousterian Châtelperronian Aurignacian Gravettian

What were their tools like?

Were Neanderthals artistic?

Images of what appear to be seals, tentatively dated To around 43 000 years ago.From Nerja, Spain.

Burials?!1?1!

One famous Neanderthal burialwas found with flowers in it.

Given that these particular flowershave strong medicinal properties, many people believe that it suggests that Neanderthals had rituals regarding their dead, which mightsuggest a belief in an afterlife.

Shanidar 1

- Crushed left side of skull- Fracture wounds have healed- Survived after injury- Lived until 34-40- Likely blind in left eye- Severe brain damage to left side of the brain, which controls the right side of the body.

- Severe fracture in deformed humerus- Paralyzed on right side due to brain injury- Pronounced limp- Multiple deformities

This individual was cared for by his group!!

Intelligent Socially complex Caring Artistic And frankly, a lot like us.

Neanderthals were…

So what happened to them?

Some argue that Neanderthals interbred with H. sapiens sapiens, their genetic material eventually becoming incorporated into modern humans.

Others believe that when modern humans left Africa and came to Europe, they outcompeted the Neanderthals, driving them to extinction.

Many hypotheses.

Photos from Wikipedia, National Geographic, and The Human Origins Project