Ancient history

Neanderthal man

ABOUT 200,000 YEARS AGO

Appearance of Neanderthal man:

The homo erectus gives rise to homo sapiens (wise man ), the first of which is Neanderthal man . This name is given to it because it was discovered in Germany in 1856 in the Neander Valley.

– It has a rear-stretched skull and a large brain (sometimes larger than ours).

– He is tall, robust, muscular, has a receding forehead and an underdeveloped chin. He looks like us except for his prominent brow bone. It was because of the disappearance of the icecap, which constituted an impassable barrier, that Neanderthal man isolated himself and evolved with his marked features, his stocky and massive body.

– He controls fire :He knows how to make it himself.

– He hunts by knocking animals off cliffs. He frightens them with fire and screams.

– He starts to talk with simple words, to organize hunts, warn of danger...

– He makes more elaborate and knotted clothes, better tools, shelters made of branches and animal skins. He creates the first family places, works in groups, helps the old, the sick and the injured.

– He buries his dead instead of abandoning corpses like his ancestors. He places offerings to help the dead in the afterlife. Maybe he believes in life after death...

The Neanderthal man has long been the victim of a demeaning image. He was categorized as an “animal man” and a “missing link”, even though he was gifted with real intelligence and a conscience.

Between the appearance of homo erectus (about 1.8 million years ago) and Neanderthal man (About 200,000 years ago) 1.6 million years have passed.

Useful link:

Neanderthal Museum


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