Neanderthal

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The Neanderthals (Also spelled Neandertal. The original German spelling includes an h but is pronounced as if no h is present.) are an extinct nonmodern hominid that come chronologically extremely close to the modern era, becoming extinct less than 30,000 years ago.

For decades the Neanderthals have been viewed as a hunched, hairy, stumbling, stupid cave man that lived tens of thousands of years ago. This image can be highly attributed to Marcellin Boule, a French paleoanthropologist at the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1908, at La Chapelle-aux-Saints in southwestern France (see #Sites and Significant Fossils below) a nearly complete male skeleton was excavated and Boule spend the better part of three years examining this specimen. The man was old in terms of Neanderthal standards, aging between 40 and 50 years old and suffered from severe arthritis in his spine. This fact was discovered long after Boule described him as hunched over, practicing an inefficient shuffling gait type of bipedalism. His preconceptions, opposed to scientific objectivity, resulted in the misconception about the genus as a whole. Today this is reflected in not only in normal perception but shown in popular culture, specifically the insurance company that concludes their process is "So Easy, a Caveman Can Do It." Interestingly, these commercials counter react the misconceptions by having offended cavemen be present and engaged in modern, human-like behavior, highlighting the misconception placed by Boule a hundred years ago.

Homo neanderthalensis or Homo sapiens neanderthalensis? As the most well known archaic Homo sapien, it is often questioned whether they are directly ancestral to fully modern Homo sapiens or merely an extinct cousin. They are very well adapted to cold environments, with shortened forearms and lower legs to reduce surface area resulting in less lost body heat. They were indisputably big game hunters with a high reliance on meat in their diet. The Mousterian tool industry is associated with Neanderthals. Evidence supports the earliest examples of compassion and ritual come with Neanderthals.

Discovery

Neandertal, Germany.

Neander Valley, literally translates in German as "Neandertal", in the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, where the river Düssel flows to meet the Rhine. It is here that the first fossil to be recognized as a different kind of human is discovered. It is on this day in August of 1856 that many claim to be beginning of the field of paleoanthropology. Miners in search of limestone blast open the entrance to a small cave, Feldhofer Cave (also called Feldhofer grotto) where an array of fossilized bones are found. The miners mostly discard the bones, but set some aside to bring to a local school teacher. Included in this group is a skullcap that will eventually become the holotype of Homo neanderthalensis (see #Sites and Significant Fossils below). The fossil displays a long skull joining with very pronounced brow ridges above the orbits. In addition, the miners come across two femora, five arm bones, part of the left ilium, portions of a scapula and multiple ribs. The fossils are delivered to a school teacher and amateur natural historian, Johann Fuhlrott.

Fuhlrott recognizes the importance of the bones and quickly brings them to the professor of anatomy at the University of Bonn, Hermann Schaaffhausen. After much examination, the pair present their discovery of the Neanderthaler ("Neanderthal Man") in June of 1857 where they highlight what they believe to be the great antiquity of the specimen. Unable to accurately describe the unusual cranial characteristics of the Neanderthaler, Schaaffhausen concludes that this individual must have belonged to an ancient aboriginal tribe residing in Germany before modern inhabitation, implying it is simply an inferior version of our own species.

This explanation, along with the emphasis Schaaffhausen and Fuhlrott were placing on the great antiquity of the Neanderthaler, is not well received in the scientific community. Many opposing views surface, one of the most recognized denies the age of the specimen and classifies him as a Mongolian horseman soldier. The profile would fit because of multiple head injuries sustained by a warrior, who would also have been impoverished, malnourished and developing diseases that would cause deformities. The brow ridges could have formed if this soldier was constantly frowning, which he would have done leading such an unfortunate existence. Another well received hypothesis is by a leading German scientist Rudolf Virchow. Virchow argues that the abnormal appearance of the skull was due to pathology, it was simply a particularly unfortunate affliction this individual suffered and there is no chance it was a different type of human. This idea became disingenuous as more specimens were found. Between this time and 1914 many new discoveries like Schaaffhausen's Neanderthaler were made in Germany, France, Belgium as well as Croatia. Following WWI, more discoveries were made in Italy, the Ukraine, the Near East and Central Asia. In 1861 William King acknowledges the primitive traits as well as the alignment with modern humans and named the genus Homo neanderthalensis. Today, Homo neanderthalensis is the most well studied of all the archaic Homo.

Morphology

Cranial and Dental Morphology

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Homo neanderthalensis skull from La Chapelle-aux-Saints, France.

Homo neanderthalensis has a skull that differs from fully modern humans on many points of interest. Overall, the structure is longer, lower and more robust.

• Cranial: Braincase and face
  • The average brain volume has been estimated at 1520cc, larger than the 1350cc of modern Homo sapiens. This is often misleading because when compared to the average body size of each species, modern Homo sapiens have a proportionally larger brain, even if the Neanderthal brain is physically larger. Endocasts point toward Neanderthal dominance on the cerebral, indicating the right and left spheres of the brain were specialized, in line with modern humans.
  • A relatively large face that is forwardly situated and characteristically has midfacial prognathism, as if it is being pulled forward by the nose.
  • Cheekbones are swept back behind a large and open nasal cavity. They feature triangular peninsulas of pone that project into the nasal opining from both sides, increasing the surface area on mucus-producing membranes that, research suggests, aide in warming and humidifying the cold and dry air associated with the tundra environment of Neanderthals.
  • On the rear of the skull is what is commonly referred to as an "occipital bun" where an increase in bone surface area allows for more muscle attachment. It is at this point where certain neck muscles anchor into pits, the supeainias fossae. This adaptation leads to increased power in the neck and shoulders.
  • Large, double arched bony brow ridges above the orbits. The brow ridges are functionally linked to the retracting forehead, as the forehead becomes less and less vertical, the brow ridges become necessary in order to absorb the heavy stress generated in the face during chewing.
• Dentition: Specialized chewing apparatus
  File:Tooth wear.jpg

  Cranium and mandible from Shadinar Cave displaying classic Neanderthal characteristics.
  • Very large incisors with reduced size in the rest of the dentition, also evidence of scraping animal and plant material against front teeth, leading to heavy wear. This labial wear has been hypothesized to be due to Neanderthals holding animal hides in their teeth while cutting, scraping or processing them.
  • Upper incisors built up by ridges on the side, "shovelled" or described as shovel shaped.
  • Taurodont post canine dentition resulting in an enlarged pulp cavity and fused roots that are not independent of one another.
  • The back teeth often have additional cusps and taurodont ("bull-toothed") roots produced by a delayed turning-in of the roots during dental formation. This results in the molars being poorly or only slightly seperated from each other.
  • Very powerful musulature for a forwardly placed jaw. Increased mastoid tuberosity where temporal muscles attatch on each side of the skull towards the rear of the braincase. The posterior temporal muscles aide in the use of the front teeth, hypothesized to increase productivity of scraping with the front teeth, thought to be very important to Neanderthal culture.
  • A retromolar gap between M3, the last molar, and the ascending mandibular ramus, the extension of the jaw bone.
  • A bony prominence next to the mandibular foramen, the hole that admits the mandibular nerve from the brain. This relates to the attachment of the sphenomandibular ligament which suspends and rotates the lower jaw, playing a role in stabilizing a large jaw during muscle actions.

Skeletal Morphology

The Neanderthal skeleton is most basically classified as big. In general their stature is 4" shorter than modern Homo sapiens and approximately 15 pounds heavier. The males average around 5'7" and the females 5'3". The largest male on record was discovered in Amud, Isreal at nearly 5'11", and the smallest female at La Ferrassie, France at 5'1".

Homo neanderthalensis skeleton (left) compared with modern Homo sapien (right).

They are relatively wide with a stocky and broad torso and short extremeties, with bowing of the limb bones.. This general body shape reduces skin surface area and retains heat better than an anatomically modern Homo sapien, key to it's cold weather environment. Neanderthals exihibit musculoskeletal hypertrophy , generally the bones are robust with large areas for muscle attachment.

• -Large shoulder and elbow joints
• -Large and wide rib cage
• -Long clavicle
• -Wide scapula with more muscle attachments at the rear
• -Bowed and short forearm leading to a strong gripping hand with wide fingertips.
• -Wide hips with an outwardly rotating, large hip joint
• -Rounded, curved and thick-walled femur shaft
• -A relatively accute angle between the shaft and neck of the femur when compared to modern Homo sapiens
• -Large and thick patella (knee)
• -Short and flattened, thick-walled tibia
• -Large ankle joint
• -Wide and strong toe bones

Unlike all of these features which follow a trend of increased muscle attatchment and wider bones, the superior pubic ramus, the upper-front part of the pelvis, is much more gracile than expected. Being relatively long, thin and flattened, it had been suggested that it may have increased the birth canal to assist a small bodied mother birth a large headed infant, the large brain size needing a longer genstation period. But since this feature is also found in male specimens, it is believed to have widened the pelvis at the front to assist in rotating the blades of the pelvis outward along with the hip joint.

Culture

Mousterian tradition

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Artist rendering of typical Mousterian tools associated with the Neanderthals.

The earliest examples of the Mousterian tradition date back to 150,000 years ago in France, possibly even earlier, and can be found as recently as 27,000 years ago in Spain. Names after the French site Le Moustier, Mousterian is not a replacement of the former Levallois technique but merely a refinement, producing smaller and more precise flakes from the core. This technique is considered the first standardization of tool production. The French prehistorian François Bordes recognized the highly variable specimens attributed to the Mousterian tradition and defines 63 different tools for either cutting, slicing, piercing, scraping, sawing or pounding. This variability over time and geographic range is often attributed to locally available raw materials for the specific Neanderthal population, as well as their climate and environment as a whole. Bordes suggests categorizing the 63 tools in terms of five coexisting Neanderthal Cultures. Lewis and Sally Binford view these five groupings as five sets of tool kits that represent the same group, not separate localized cultures. Another hypothesis comes from Harold Dibble in 1987 who believes that the large frequency of notably different tools is not evidence for many task specific types but instead is showing us different stages in the use of the tool. It requires hundreds of blows in order to shape and sharpen the edge of a flake once it has been removed from its core, and this edge would require refinement after frequent use and dulling of the tool. The 63 tools are not distinct, but rather showing us how Neanderthals prolonged the use of their Mousterian stone tools as long as possible.

Compassion and Community

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The skull of Shadinar 1 showing obvious trauma to the left orbit. Photo by Eric Trinkaus.

A surprising amount of Neanderthal specimens seem to have suriveved to a ripe old age in extremely poor condition. Eric Trinkaus relates the type and sheer quantity of Neanderthal bone breaks to be similar to that of modern rodeo riders. This idea relates to their hunting style, suggesting that they sustained many injuries while being so close to their prey. Also by examinining preserved dentition, it has been estimated that about 57% of Neanderthal individuals had dental hypoplasia, where enamel growth is haulted in tooth development often associated with vitamin deficiency, infectious disease or trauma. It is unquestionable that Neanderthals experienced a lot of hardship during their typical lifespan, yet somehow many survived for many years.

This is largely attributed to compassion and social care for incapacitated individuals. The "Old Man" of La Chapelle-aux-Saints, studies by Boule, only had two teeth left when he died. The speciment from Shadinar Cave, Iraq (#Sites and Significant Fossils) Shanidar 1 took a crushing blow to his left orbit, probably blinding him and potentially causing brain damage, had one withered arm and lost his other forearm entirely. All of this degenerative trauma left him incapable of moving efficiently and would only have survived between 40 and 45 years (equivalent of 80 modern human years) is with the assistance of others. There is a pattern seen across sites of old age specimens with disease or trauma who would have required care from others in their community.

Symbolism, Rituals and Burials

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A Neanderthal burial discovered in 1908 at La Chapelle-aux-Saints by Abbots Amédée, Jean Bouyssonie and Louis Bardon.

The Middle Paleolithic culture has been paralleled with modern humans, suggesting that the Neanderthals performed ritualistic behavior and had the emotional capacity that is in line with modern Homo sapiens. Not only have many examples of intentional burial been discovered, but evidence of a bear burial at Regourdou, burned and roken bones implying cannibalism, cave bear skulls found at Drachenloch, and many others suggest ritualistic and symbolic behavior showing a human-like awareness and spirituality. This belief, though, has been highly criticized and blame has been shoved to the archaeologists for always assuming that the archaeological record context is always intentional and purposely arranged.

Burials
Most solid evidence we have is for intentional burials, but the intention the Neanderthals had for burying their dead is questioned. Were Neanderthals displaying a sense of the afterlife and the importance of death, or merely disposing of bodies in order to remove them from living areas and to not attract predators? Many believe that the Neanderthals had no foresight into their burials, it was not ceremonial or may even have has significance that is impossible for anthropologists to imagine or comprehend. One problem in deciphering this practice is many of the sites were excavated so long ago that proper precautions were not taken in order to determine intentional burial. Many sites, including La Ferrassie and Saint- Césaire have no evidence of a grave pit, but in contrast there is a very clear pit at Chapelle-aux-Saints.

Many of the uncovered burials reveal the Neanderthal skeleton in a flexed position, crouched with knees drawn up to chest and occasionally the head pillowed on an arm. FEDER AND ?? Burying the dead in this position is practiced by modern cultures in order to mimic the fetus of the womb, in a sense being birthed into the afterlife. Simple grave goods are found alongside the bodies, usually stone or bone artifacts, occasional ochre used as red pigmentation that would suggest ritualistic behavior, and common animal bone. It is difficult to determine whether these grave goods, not being elaborate or exotic but rather daily fare, were intentionally placed in order to accompany the dead in an afterlife or whether they just circumstantially ended up in the grave pit or near the dead body. FEDER

Sites and Significant Fossils

Neander Valley, Germany

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Neanderthal 1.

Neanderthal 1
This skull cap is the type specimen fossil that all other Neanderthal classifications are based upon, it is the holotype. The brow ridges jut out, leading to the largely horizontal forehead. The cranium is long and low, all features that came to be characteristic of Homo neanderthalensis.

Shanidar Cave, Iraq

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Entrance to Shanidar Cave, Iraq.

Shanidar Cave is located in the Zagros Mountains of north-eastern Iraq. Ralph Solecki and his team excavated the relatively inaccessible cave between 1957 and 1961, discovering the first adult Neanderthal skeletons in Iraq. The site is best known for its evidence of ritualistic burial in pits lined with flowers and for evidence of compassion, having an adult specimen display trauma related injuries and still living to an old age presumably due to help from others.

La Ferrassie, France

This cave site, located in the Les Eyzies region of the Periogord Dordogne Valley of France, is interpreted as having eight individual intentional burials of two adult and six Neanderthal children. These burials date to approximately 35,000 years ago. The specimen La Ferrassie I is one of the most complete Neanderthal skeletons ever discovered.