Did Neandertals Think Like Us?

Scientific American ^ | June 2010 | Editors

[SunkenCiv]

For the past two decades archaeologist João Zilhão of the University of Bristol in England has been studying our closest cousins, the Neandertals, who occupied Eurasia for more than 200,000 years before mysteriously disappearing some 28,000 years ago. Experts in this field have long debated just how similar Neandertal cognition was to our own. Occupying center stage in this controversy are a handful of Neandertal sites that contain cultural remains indicative of symbol use -- including jewelry -- a defining element of modern human behavior. Zilhão and others argue that Neandertals invented these symbolic traditions on their own, before anatomically modern humans arrived in Europe around 40,000 years ago. Critics, however, believe the items originated with moderns.

But this past January, in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, Zilhão and his colleagues reported on finds that could settle the dispute: pigment-stained seashells from two sites in Spain dated to nearly 50,000 years ago -- 10,000 years before anatomically modern humans made their way to Europe. Zilhão recently discussed the implications of his team's new discoveries with Scientific American staff editor Kate Wong. An edited version of their conversation follows.

[SunkenCiv]

Subtitled, "João Zilhão defends his controversial view that our oft-maligned relatives shared our cognitive abilities". Scientists have traditionally considered Homo sapiens the only species to invent and use symbols. But over the past few decades archaeologists have discovered a handful of enigmatic artifacts hinting that our cousins the Neandertals -- long dismissed as intellectually inferior -- might have engaged in symbolic activities, too. Experts dismissed the finds, however, attributing them to modern humans instead. The recent discovery of Neandertal jewelry and body paint from two sites in Spain provides unequivocal evidence of Neandertal symbolism and suggests that modern human behavior has ancient roots.

Archaeologica is SMOKIN' today! Here are some I "shared" on Facebook today, that I also want to put up on FR when possible.

• Romanian experts have discovered the most ancient cave paintings found to date in Central Europe, aged up to 35,000 years old PhysOrg
• A 12,000-year-old find in Keene, New Hampshire Union Leader
• Native site on Patuxent could date to 1000 BC-Was village visited by Ohio mound-builders? Baltimore Sun
• Fossils Reveal that Maya People Knew about Prehistory Art Daily
• The Thunderstone Mystery: What's a Stone Age Axe Doing in an Iron Age Tomb? Science Daily
• Mexican delegation in charge of conservation at the Theban Tomb 39, in Egypt, to begin 6th field season Art Daily
• The million mummy question: Why are there a million mummies buried near Snefu's Seila pyramid? Heritage Key

And some I didn't yet share on FB (or visit, to verify I wanna):

• Mithraic Mysteries and the Cult of Empire New American
• American archaeologists find ruins of four ancient castles in western Turkey Today's Zaman
• Behind the mummy: the real King Tutankhamun New Scientist
• Chinese Ancient Earthenware Found in Dieng-The discovery may reveal the economic situation in the Old Mataram kingdom VIVAnews
• Prehistoric pet? Dog burial found in Orange County California Orange County Register
• Teacher finds 1792 Document While Cleaning Boston Globe
• Digging Acadian history-Archaeological dig planned for 18th-century settlement PEI Guardian

[SunkenCiv]

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	Gods Graves Glyphs	João Zilhão is my kinda guy. :') Any digital subscribers out there had better not FReepmail the rest of the text of this article, and they'd better not do it before about 5 pm tomorrow, when I get home. The Neandertal Enigma by James Shreeve in local libraries Frayer's own reading of the record reveals a number of overlooked traits that clearly and specifically link the Neandertals to the Cro-Magnons. One such trait is the shape of the opening of the nerve canal in the lower jaw, a spot where dentists often give a pain-blocking injection. In many Neandertal, the upper portion of the opening is covered by a broad bony ridge, a curious feature also carried by a significant number of Cro-Magnons. But none of the alleged 'ancestors of us all' fossils from Africa have it, and it is extremely rare in modern people outside Europe." [pp 126-127] To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
·Dogpile · Archaeologica · Mirabilis.ca · LiveScience · Biblical Archaeology Society · · Discover · Nat Geographic · Texas AM Anthro News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · Google · · Archaeology · The Archaeology Channel · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists ·

[Parley Baer]

I would say they think like some of us. Look at the South Caroline Senate race and those who voted for Greene. I think those voters would qualify as having Neanderthal genes in them.

[Parley Baer]

Caroline=Carolina

[stormer]

More importantly, do we think like them?

[Travis McGee]

Didn’t they also bury their dead with ceremony?

[SunkenCiv]

:’)

[SunkenCiv]

They did. They made clothing, including hats, wore footwear, created art, possibly kept calendars, they made musical instruments, may have invented soup...

[tsomer]

Dear old Dad!

The big question:
Were they Dims or ‘pubs?

[quantim]

Did they vote for Kenyans?

[Little Bill]

A 12,000 year-old find in Keene (NH), First Massholes sneaking over the border?

[concentric circles]

Neanderthals ruled the earth for upwards of 500,000 years. We should be so lucky. They were adaptable, intelligent and strong. They were not so adaptable as to successfully adjust to multiple, massive invasions by our forebears, but then, there has been sufficient degeneration of our stock that we, today could not withstand the same challenge. We should honor the Neanderthals for what they achieved and devote ourselves to a greater fulfillment of real, meaningful civilization.

[calex59]

One thing is certain. They didn’t improve their weapons over many centuries of use, where as Cro magnon improved their spears and other weapons over a shorter period of time, allowing them to survive while the Neanderthals died out.

[nolongerademocrat]

Kewl!

[YHAOS]

"Did Neandertals Think Like Us?"

Uhhh . . . let me think.

[YHAOS]

"They made clothing, including hats, wore footwear, created art, possibly kept calendars, they made musical instruments, may have invented soup..."

Did they brew beer?

[FlingWingFlyer]

Did Neandertals Think Like Us?

No. They joined unions. We didn't.

[Cold Heart]

90% of Philly young adults are not fit to serve in the military. (75% nationally;(

[pnh102]

This smells like a call for Neanderthal reparations.

[Cacique]

btt