Posted on 04/22/2002 11:13:21 PM PDT by Gladwin
Evidence has emerged to suggest the Neanderthals had a war-mongering nature. The early hunter-gatherers got into fights and used weapons, according to the results of a study of a skeleton uncovered in French caves. A crack in the skull of the 36,000 year-old Neanderthal was caused by a sharp tool, say anthropologists. An early modern human may have struck the blow.
They think another Neanderthal or an early human attacked the young adult. The Neanderthal survived but would have had to be nursed by other members of the tribe.
The findings indicate that the contemporaries of early modern humans were more sophisticated than their popular "caveman" image suggests. They would have needed social skills and organised networks to take part in armed conflict. It may have been a crucial factor in the evolution of Neanderthal and human behaviour, say scientists in Switzerland and France.
The evidence comes from a computer-aided reconstruction of the skull of a Neanderthal found near the village of St Cesaire in 1979. Dr Christoph Zollikofer of the University of Zurich and colleagues say a healed cranial fracture shows the Neanderthal was hit by a sharp tool or weapon.
"These findings add to the evidence that Neanderthals used implements not only for hunting and food processing, but also in other behavioural contexts," they report in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
They say the potential for violence might have spurred the evolution of social behaviour.
Prof Chris Stringer, Natural History Museum Professor Chris Stringer of London's Natural History Museum is an expert on the origins of humans. He says several Neanderthal skeletons showing signs of injury have been uncovered in the past. But to his knowledge injury by another "person" can be implicated in only one other find - a healed wound to a rib on a Neanderthal from Shanidar Cave, Iraq. Prof Stringer told BBC News Online: "In both these cases the individuals survived long enough for the wound to heal, suggesting that Neanderthal social groups gave support to their members.
"Given that this is one of the most recent Neanderthals known, it is even theoretically possible that the weapon used was wielded by a contemporary Cro-Magnon [earliest anatomically modern human]," he added. "But it is much more likely that the injury was caused by another Neanderthal."
A.Then surrendered.
The Great War Starts
French Surrender
Germany Attacks Poland, WWII!!
French Surrender
Israel Invades Sinai!
French Surrender
You probably think I'm exaggerating, don't you? ;)
"I'll take Sibelius in the Conservatory with the Contra Bassoon."
You probably think I'm exaggerating, don't you? ;)
Unfortunately, no, I think that's a perfect description of the mindset of the mystically-oriented left. Selective perception is a bugger.
I also find it interesting that their prescription to return to a (fictional) idealized, anarchic past, marked by small groups and descision by consensus is to implement a vast, all-powerful, autocratic state. Seems a bit of a contradiction to me.
Personally, I love the "Druids" and other assorted heathen who practice a made-up and sanitized versions of their "religions". You wouldn't see very many modern people attend druidic ceremonies if the priest was going to choose one of the congregation of a human sacrifice. And how many tree-huggers who love the American Indians and their "nature religions" even want to think about how these savages ensured that the sun would return in the winter?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.