Polymorphism In Neanderthals
After the emergence of physically/anatomically ‘modern’ humans in Europe, the Neanderthal population that frequented the Eurasian continent for the past 1.4-2 Million years drastically began to decline. The exact period when the population was wiped out is debated, while some argue around 40 Kya, recent findings suggest they may have remained alive in pockets up to 24 Kya. Another aspect of Neanderthals that is widely contested is what exactly killed them off; the most prominent arguments include competition with these encroaching Homo Sapiens, interbreeding/hybridisation, the inability to adapt to climate change, and parasites/pathogens are mentioned. There isn’t substantial evidence for any of these claims to stand on their own, Whether
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or not the extinction of the Neanderthals was caused by one factor alone, or a culmination of multiple factors is a matter of great scholarly debate and can’t be answered without new comprehensive evidence. One could argue that the extinction of Neanderthals was ultimately for the better, as less competition paved the way for our early Homo Sapiens ancestors to strive and evolve to what we are today, or one could argue that their extinction was inevitable due to Homo Sapiens superior hunting skills and adaptation to harsher climates. Understanding the legacy left behind by Neanderthals can help us understand just how some of our most important features and characteristics came to fruition, evolving from by our nearest extinct human relatives. “The Neanderthals are incomparably the best mirror we have to hold up to ourselves, and to show us the exact nature of our own uniqueness” (Tattersall & Schwartz 2001, 175).
It is largely thought that Neanderthals were their own distinct species, Homo Neanderthalensis, but a select few of archaeologists view them as a sub-species of Homo Sapiens.
In contrast to Homo Sapiens, Neanderthals were of robust stature with broad shoulders and small lower limbs. There is evidence of sexual dimorphism in Neanderthals, with males much larger than female counterparts. There is also intense controversy surrounding the fact if Neanderthals culture & customs, whether they had a language or buried their dead, the use of cave art such as that found in Gorham cave in Gibraltr, as shown below, for decoration would perhaps give precedence to the idea that Neanderthals had complex interactions with each other and their …show more content…
environments. (Rincon 2014, Gorham cave art, http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-28967746).
When Neanderthals first encountered ‘modern humans’, competition for resources was inevitable, as conflict is prevalent in hunter-gatherer societies.
It is consequently reasonable to assume that hostility, culminating in a sort of primitive warfare, would have emerged between the two species. Numerous discoveries in both Neanderthal and Homo Sapiens bones seemed to show inter-species violence from injuries including indents in the bones that could only have originated from spear or other projectile heads fashioned with common tool-making means contemporary to the period (Bryner 2009, 1). Examples of Neanderthal mass massacres such as El Sidrón, northern Spain, where evidence of tools being used to cut flesh from bones (Zimmer 2010, 1). give a bleak insight into the everyday struggles some populations may have faced, with constant competition with Homo Sapiens for resources, and some engaging in cannibalism, the idea that the emergence of early modern humans was a majorly contributing factor to their extinction is a highly plausible one. Competitive edge regarding surviving/hunting on the part of early modern humans has accounted for the decline of Neanderthals' during a span of thousands of years (Banks et. al 2008, 1). Early modern humans use of superior weapon technology and supposed domestication of wild dogs presumably gave them the upper hand when it came to hunting fauna, an examination of contemporary sites of Neanderthals and early modern humans with animal remnants
across France, Spain and Portugal provided an indication of what Neanderthals and early modern humans ate (Shipman 2012, 189-198). (Hirst, 2016, El Sidrón excavation, https://www.thoughtco.com/el-sidron-evidence-for-neanderthal-cannibalism-172640).
or not the extinction of the Neanderthals was caused by one factor alone, or a culmination of multiple factors is a matter of great scholarly debate and can’t be answered without new comprehensive evidence. One could argue that the extinction of Neanderthals was ultimately for the better, as less competition paved the way for our early Homo Sapiens ancestors to strive and evolve to what we are today, or one could argue that their extinction was inevitable due to Homo Sapiens superior hunting skills and adaptation to harsher climates. Understanding the legacy left behind by Neanderthals can help us understand just how some of our most important features and characteristics came to fruition, evolving from by our nearest extinct human relatives. “The Neanderthals are incomparably the best mirror we have to hold up to ourselves, and to show us the exact nature of our own uniqueness” (Tattersall & Schwartz 2001, 175).
It is largely thought that Neanderthals were their own distinct species, Homo Neanderthalensis, but a select few of archaeologists view them as a sub-species of Homo Sapiens.
In contrast to Homo Sapiens, Neanderthals were of robust stature with broad shoulders and small lower limbs. There is evidence of sexual dimorphism in Neanderthals, with males much larger than female counterparts. There is also intense controversy surrounding the fact if Neanderthals culture & customs, whether they had a language or buried their dead, the use of cave art such as that found in Gorham cave in Gibraltr, as shown below, for decoration would perhaps give precedence to the idea that Neanderthals had complex interactions with each other and their …show more content…
environments. (Rincon 2014, Gorham cave art, http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-28967746).
When Neanderthals first encountered ‘modern humans’, competition for resources was inevitable, as conflict is prevalent in hunter-gatherer societies.
It is consequently reasonable to assume that hostility, culminating in a sort of primitive warfare, would have emerged between the two species. Numerous discoveries in both Neanderthal and Homo Sapiens bones seemed to show inter-species violence from injuries including indents in the bones that could only have originated from spear or other projectile heads fashioned with common tool-making means contemporary to the period (Bryner 2009, 1). Examples of Neanderthal mass massacres such as El Sidrón, northern Spain, where evidence of tools being used to cut flesh from bones (Zimmer 2010, 1). give a bleak insight into the everyday struggles some populations may have faced, with constant competition with Homo Sapiens for resources, and some engaging in cannibalism, the idea that the emergence of early modern humans was a majorly contributing factor to their extinction is a highly plausible one. Competitive edge regarding surviving/hunting on the part of early modern humans has accounted for the decline of Neanderthals' during a span of thousands of years (Banks et. al 2008, 1). Early modern humans use of superior weapon technology and supposed domestication of wild dogs presumably gave them the upper hand when it came to hunting fauna, an examination of contemporary sites of Neanderthals and early modern humans with animal remnants
across France, Spain and Portugal provided an indication of what Neanderthals and early modern humans ate (Shipman 2012, 189-198). (Hirst, 2016, El Sidrón excavation, https://www.thoughtco.com/el-sidron-evidence-for-neanderthal-cannibalism-172640).