Misconceptions About Neanderthals


Thanks to movies and a series of insurance ads, we tend to think of the extinct hominids known as Neanderthals as hairy, stooped, club-wielding caveman. Modern science knows a lot more about Neanderthals now, but the old stereotypes persist. You may be surprised at how like us the Neanderthals really were. Link -via Unique Daily

(image credit: Reconstruction by Kennis & Kennis/Photograph by Joe McNally, National Geographic)

Newest 5
Newest 5 Comments

There are still folks who think that redhaired people show some last Neanderthal characteristics. I think that the last word is not spoken even if dna-surches have shown there is no Neanderthal trace in modern humans. I guess they still overlook something.

Sofar, Neanderthal people were more succesful than modern humans as far as surviving through time goes. And about their culture we don't know zilch- a few artifacts, okay. Yet they had several hundreds of thousands of years to develop their oral history and culture, their language, their songs, their prayers, their stories, their chants and their ways of doing things. Those are all gone.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
i honestly think it was a mixture of things that ended them. they probably coexisted with some of us (as in cro-magnons anyway), and warred or were wiped out by other cro-magnons.
it wouldn't surprise me if they eventually did find neanderthal/cro-magnon hybrids, but i really have to wonder if we were close enough to produce viable offspring. they've found the bones of a child who looks like he could have been a mix of both- but with only one example, we can't really say for sure.
it would be kind of nice in a way to think that they blended with us, but so far they haven't found any evidence to support that.
since they look pretty close to us, i wonder if cro-magnon even knew they were a different species of people, or if they just thought they were a different band/tribe.
i wish one would show up frozen like all those mammoths in siberia so we could learn more about them. seems like there should be more than a few like that, right?
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Login to comment.




Email This Post to a Friend
"Misconceptions About Neanderthals"

Separate multiple emails with a comma. Limit 5.

 

Success! Your email has been sent!

close window
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
 
Learn More