Neanderthals weren’t less smart than modern humans.
Neanderthals are often portrayed as brutish and uncultured, but recent discoveries have challenged this image. A new study confirms that Neanderthals were capable of making jewelry out of animal teeth, shells and ivory, showing that they had a sense of symbolic expression and art.
The study, published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, analyzed the bone fragments and ornaments found in the Grotte du Renne cave in France, which dates back to about 40,000 to 50,000 years ago. This was a time when modern humans were spreading across Europe and displacing the Neanderthals, who went extinct about 30,000 years ago.
The researchers used advanced techniques to identify the proteins preserved in the ancient bones, which revealed that some of them belonged to modern humans, while others belonged to Neanderthals.
They also found that the Neanderthals made necklaces out of cave bear teeth, which are not seen in their material culture before that time.
This suggests that the Neanderthals learned jewelry-making from the modern humans they encountered, and adopted it as a form of cultural expression. The researchers argue that this shows that Neanderthals were not cognitively inferior to modern humans, but rather had a dynamic and complex culture that evolved over time.
The study also sheds light on the interactions between Neanderthals and modern humans, which were not only violent and competitive, but also involved cultural exchange and interbreeding.
The researchers hope that their findings will inspire more research on the Neanderthal culture and its legacy in modern humans.
Sources: 1, 2, 3