Homo Sapien Neanderthalensis
Homo sapien neanderthalensis is estimated to have lived between 130,000 and 28,000 years ago. The first remains were found in a German valley in 1856. This valley is called Neander Valley—the German word for valley is Tal—giving the species the name Neanderthalensis, most commonly known as Neanderthal. Neanderthal remains were discovered at the La Ferrassie cave located in Dordogne, France. Multiple excavations of the site have occurred between 1909 and present time, all of which have contributed to the understanding of Neanderthal anatomy, social life, and their interactions with modern humans. By looking at the La Ferrassie site research projects, one can see how important the site is in the explanation of how Homo sapien neanderthalensis
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Communication of Neanderthals was through an uncomplicated language, simplified to grunts and yells that were high pitched due to a squat throat, deep rib cage, large/heavy skull, and a large nasal cavity (Adams, 2016). After the Neanderthals migrated from Africa and lived in regions where the weather turned cold, there were less plants available, causing the Neanderthals to have no choice but to become good hunters. With a diet consisting mainly of meat, Neanderthals hunted large game such as reindeer and mammoths (Kottak, 2016). To battle this cold weather, Neanderthals fashioned clothing for themselves out of animal hides, being the first early humans to wear any type of clothing; however loose-fitting and imperfect (Smithsonian, Kottak 2016). The Neanderthals crafted a sophisticated style of tools, the Mousterian tradition, where they used a prepared core and flaked away pieces of it until they had the tool they desired (G. Guérin et al, 2015). Another tradition the Neanderthals practiced was the intentional burial of their dead, which was proved at the La Ferrassie site in France. Five of the eight original individuals discovered at La Ferrassie are proposed to have been buried in an intentional pit. One was covered by a rock, and another was found with three stone artifacts (A. Gómez-Olivencia et al, 2015). This intentional burial of the dead suggests that the Neanderthals had some religious habits and
Communication of Neanderthals was through an uncomplicated language, simplified to grunts and yells that were high pitched due to a squat throat, deep rib cage, large/heavy skull, and a large nasal cavity (Adams, 2016). After the Neanderthals migrated from Africa and lived in regions where the weather turned cold, there were less plants available, causing the Neanderthals to have no choice but to become good hunters. With a diet consisting mainly of meat, Neanderthals hunted large game such as reindeer and mammoths (Kottak, 2016). To battle this cold weather, Neanderthals fashioned clothing for themselves out of animal hides, being the first early humans to wear any type of clothing; however loose-fitting and imperfect (Smithsonian, Kottak 2016). The Neanderthals crafted a sophisticated style of tools, the Mousterian tradition, where they used a prepared core and flaked away pieces of it until they had the tool they desired (G. Guérin et al, 2015). Another tradition the Neanderthals practiced was the intentional burial of their dead, which was proved at the La Ferrassie site in France. Five of the eight original individuals discovered at La Ferrassie are proposed to have been buried in an intentional pit. One was covered by a rock, and another was found with three stone artifacts (A. Gómez-Olivencia et al, 2015). This intentional burial of the dead suggests that the Neanderthals had some religious habits and