Neanderthal is the name given to a human species that lived between 250,000 and 40,000 years ago. Commonly known as “pyramid” or “cave man”, the scientific name of these people is Homo Neanderthalensis. They evolved and became extinct about 40,000 years ago. Some sources use the definition of undeveloped intelligence for these people, but research reveals that they are quite intelligent.
The first Neanderthal fossil was found in 1856 in the Neander valley near Düsseldorf, Germany. For this reason, these prehistoric people were called Neanderthals. These people; They have lived from the Atlantic coast to central Asia, from Belgium in the north to the Mediterranean in the south and Asia in the southwest. No skeletal evidence has been found that they reached Africa or eastern Uzbekistan.
Features and Information About Neanderthals
It was assumed that Neanderthal humans did not walk exactly upright and were closely related to gorillas. However, new information has been obtained in recent studies. The specimens obtained from the found remains were observed with the resuscitation technique and it was observed that they walked upright. Drawings of Neanderthal people have been found in many caves in France, Portugal and Spain. Among the drawings, there are depictions of trees as well as animals such as deer and bears.
The average height of these people, who have a larger build than normal people, exceeds 2 meters. It is estimated that they can run very fast due to their strong arms and calves. They are known to feed mainly by hunting mammoths and bison. It has been scientifically proven that they eat each other when they are not able to hunt and when they are hungry. During the time of Neanderthals, many wild animals lived in gigantic sizes. For this reason, they made many primitive weapons from animal bones in order not to be prey to animals.
It is known that Neanderthals, who are thought to have high dexterity, learned to control fire and developed hunting techniques. These people, whose bodies are covered with hair, are quite resistant to cold. Since their vocal cords are not very developed, they could not communicate effectively. They invented the glue in order to make strong spears. It was determined that they made different kinds of meals by putting meat on the cooked vegetables. It is estimated that these people, whose skull volumes are quite large, may have been more intelligent than modern humans.
How Did Neanderthals Extinct?
There is no clear information about exactly how the Neanderthals, who were thought to have become extinct about 40 thousand years ago, became extinct. Uncovered fossils reveal a view that the Neanderthal lineage was wiped out by modern humans from Africa. Child teeth and stone tools found in a cave in the south of France are thought to belong to Homo Sapiens, who are considered to be the ancestors of modern humans. It turns out that Homo Sapiens were found in western Europe about 54,000 years ago. These findings suggest that the two human species may have continued to coexist for a long time.
The appearance of Neanderthals in Europe dates back to about 400,000 years ago. According to the theories put forward; It is estimated that Neanderthals became extinct shortly after Homo sapiens arrived in Europe. Therefore, it is estimated that these two human species lived together in Europe for almost 10 years. According to scientists; Modern humans did not immediately exterminate the Neanderthals, but this progressed as a certain process. It is estimated that they played a large role in the decline and eventual extinction of the Neanderthal population in general.
