The history of humanity is written as a complex mosaic where different human species have coexisted, each developing their own adaptations and cultural innovations. WhileA wise man developed its first tools in Africa, the Neanderthals had already conquered the vast Eurasian expansesestablishing their domination of England to the borders of Siberia. Recent paleoanthropological discoveries reveal the extraordinary history of this archaic human species, whose heritage extends over nearly 800,000 years.
Atapuerca: The cradle of plural humanity
The Atapuerca Mountains in Spain have helped rewrite the history of Neanderthal origins. The site of Sima de los Huesos, a true paleontological treasure dating back 430,000 years, has yielded dental fossils with distinctive characteristics: small molars and premolars, typical of the Neanderthal lineage.
These findings led researchers from University College London to propose, in their 2019 study, a new timeline. The separation between the Neanderthal and sapiens lineages dates back at least 800,000 years, well before previous estimates who placed it between 300,000 and 500,000 years ago.
This temporal revision implies a much longer period of evolution, allowing the development anatomical characteristics specific to Neanderthals.
Neanderthal: an intelligent globetrotter
From the Düssel valley to the Siberian steppes, the traces of the presence of Neanderthals prove that this species could adapt to the most varied biotopes. The initial discovery in the Neanderthal, this German valley which gave its name to the species in 1856, represented only the first piece of a colossal territorial puzzle which would gradually be revealed over the course of archaeological discoveries.
Neanderthal remains tell us a story of gradual conquest of Eurasian spaces. In Western Europe, their presence is affirmed through a dense network of archaeological sites, from the limestone cliffs of Périgord to the English plains. The Moustier site, nestled in the reliefs of the Dordogne, yielded, in 1908, a complete skeleton of an individual. The latter rested there, accompanied by an assemblage of characteristic tools which would define Mousterian culture. It is a lithic industry (technique for manufacturing stone tools) which developed between 160,000 and 40,000 years before our era, very widespread during the Middle Paleolithic.
Neanderthal technical innovation is also evident among our English neighbors, at the Lynford Quarry site in Norfolk. This English locality, dated around 60,000 years ago, has been the center of rare archaeological discoveries. Finely worked bifaces sit alongside the bones of at least nine woolly mammoths, demonstrating a fairly elaborate social organization and oriented towards collective hunting of large mammals.
Further east, we have evidence that Neanderthals had also established itself on the borders of central Siberiathanks to the Chagyrskaya cave. This site, in its extreme geographical position, illustrates the ability of Neanderthals to adapt to the most rigorous climatic conditions. Analyzes of lithic and bone remains prove technical continuity with European traditions, suggesting networks of exchange or cultural transmission over considerable distances.
The Neanderthals were therefore almost everywhere in Eurasia : from coastal areas to mountainous regions, from temperate forests to cold steppes, nothing seemed to turn them back. This capacity for adaptation is reflected in the variability of their tools, adapted to local resources and the specific environmental challenges of each region. The technical innovations observed, far from being uniform, show regional variations; they therefore knew how to innovate by considering local resources and constraints.
The analysis of habitat sites also reveals a thoughtful spatial organizationwith areas dedicated to different activities: stone cutting, skin treatment, food preparation. A structuring of space which attests to a certain social and cognitive complexity far exceeding the first estimates of Neanderthal capacities.
The migration routes: a transcontinental adventure
Neanderthal eastward expansion constitutes one of the most remarkable examples of prehistoric human migration. A study published in PLOS One in 2023 highlighted two main routes: a northern route along the Greater Caucasus and a southern route following the Lesser Caucasus.
The Southern Caspian Corridor (SCC) proved particularly conducive to human movement, providing fresh water resources and favorable climatic conditions during Isotopic Period 4 (MIS 4), between 70,000 and 59,000 BCE. This area has become a true crossroads of biodiversity and a climate refugewhere Neanderthal populations were able to thrive and potentially mix with early A wise man came from the Persian plateau.
Depending on the route taken, the groups differed from a cultural point of view. The populations of the north used Micoquian technology (lithic industry of the Middle Paleolithic, variant of the Mousterian), developed between 130,000 and 70,000 years BC, while those of the south remained attached to Mousterian tools. This technological divergence suggests the existence of two genetically and culturally distinct groups, separated by ice ages that interrupted their connections.
40,000 years ago, the last Neanderthals faded from the scene of human historyleaving behind them a world thatA wise man would gradually invest. This disappearance was not, however, an absolute end, modern genetic analyzes are proof of this. In the cells of many contemporary humans Neanderthal DNA sequences remainsilent traces of ancient encounters between our ancestors and these other humans. Humanity is therefore not the result of a simple succession of species. Different prehistoric lineages crossed, mixed and sometimes clashed to compose this gigantic evolving fresco.
- The Neanderthals conquered a vast Eurasian territory thanks to their capacity for adaptation and their technical innovations.
- Archaeological discoveries have revealed a sophisticated social and cultural organization, marked by regional variations.
- Their imprint still persists in our DNA, testifying to ancient exchanges between different human lineages.
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