Knocked on the head: rumour Neanderthals were brutes
THE rehabilitation of Neanderthals has taken another step forward after scientists discovered they were no more violent than modern humans and could probably hunt just as well.
Previously, studies of Neanderthal skulls showed high rates of head injuries, suggesting they were constantly getting into scrapes with large animals, and each other.
The evidence seemed to imply they had chaotic social structures, leading to violent infighting, and such poor hunting techniques – relying on close contact weapons – that they were often mauled by cave bears or hyenas.
But a review of the evidence has
‘Our results suggest that Neanderthal lifestyles were no more dangerous than those of our ancestors’
shown modern man had a similar numbers of wounds, showing their lifestyles were probably much the same.
Prof Katerina Harvati, of the Institute of Evolution and Ecology at the University of Tübingen, Germany, said: “Our findings refute the hypothesis that Neanderthals were more prone to head injuries than modern humans.
“We therefore believe that the commonly cited Neanderthal behaviours leading to high injury levels, such as violent behaviour and inferior hunting capabilities, must be reconsidered.
“Overall, our results suggest that Neanderthal lifestyles were no more dangerous than those of our ancestors, early modern Europeans.”
Neanderthals, lived in western Eurasia from 400,000 until they were wiped out around 40,000 years ago allowing modern humans to flourish. It was widely believed that humans simply outcompeted them, but the new study suggests a different reason.
Researchers found the only difference was the age of the injuries – with greater skull wounds among young Neanderthal skeletons, whereas modern humans maintained consistent injury rates across age.
The lead author Judith Beier, of Tubingen University, said: “This could mean that Neanderthals were more likely to be injured at a younger age than modern humans.” The research was published in the journal Nature.