The Mystery of the Neanderthals

Dear 7E,

Here’s a mystery from history for you to contemplate. How come the Neanderthals died out or became extinct? They had already survived the most life-threatening conditions you could possibly imagine. They were strong and well adapted to the cold. Their brains were larger than any other hominid’s, before them or since. That includes us!

There are many questions that surround the Neanderthals’ existence and their premature departure from this earth.

For instance, scientists have been trying for many years to determine whether modern humans could have interbred with Neanderthals. The Max Planck Institute in Germany found evidence of Neanderthal genes in our genome in 2010. Only recently, however, another group of scientists have cast doubt on the theory that Neanderthals could have interbred with Homo sapiens. You can read information on these topics by clicking on the links below.

An artist's rendition of life on earth 60,000 years ago, showing a Neanderthal family on the frozen tundra of northern Europe - provided by Wikipedia Commons (public domain image)
An artist’s rendition of life on earth 60,000 years ago, showing a Neanderthal family on the frozen tundra of northern Europe – provided by Wikipedia Commons (public domain image)

It seems to me that the Neanderthals were tantalizingly similar to us, yet mysteriously different as well:

♦They didn’t farm, but then neither did we at that time in our past. No one farmed until 10,000 years ago. By then the Neanderthals had been gone for over 20,000 years.

♦They didn’t create rock art (at least to the best of our knowledge).

♦Yet they buried their dead and looked after their old and infirm. There is evidence to show that they were already burying their dead 120,000 years ago.

♦You might even assume that they should have been more likely to survive than we were. For instance, they were better adapted than Homo sapiens to a frozen world. They survived thousands of years of Ice Age. Their bones were far stronger than ours. Our bones are finer, more fragile, much more breakable. They would have won a wrestling contest with us easily.
So why did they, around 35000 years ago, become extinct?

Words for possibilities
Not to mention: speculation, surmise, belief, point of view, judgement, conjecture and suspicion…

Image from wpclipart.com

Here’s your chance to plumb the depths of this mystery and go back to the time before Homo sapiens were the only human beings on the planet. Have a look at each link below to view some fascinating speculations about Neanderthals:

After you have read these sites, write a comment about the Neanderthals. It must be written in correct English. What do you find interesting about them? What information have you gleaned from your reading? What might have made the Neanderthals vulnerable to extinction? Do you have an opinion on whether they interbred with us? Include in your comment any websites you may have located that might educate other students (and your teacher) about these remarkable lost people.

Kind regards,

Ms Green

In case you lose your “Possibility Words” handout: A Mystery of History – Neanderthals

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21 Replies to “The Mystery of the Neanderthals”

  1. I think one of the factors that could have led to the extinction of the Neanderthals was that their heads were a weird shape and the women had a narrow pelvis, therefore they would have struggled to give birth or if they managed to do so, it might have been extremely painful, which could have led to some women dying when giving birth. Their weapons were also not suited to the changing environment, which meant less food, which could have contributed to the Neanderthals dying out.
    I thought it was fascinating that they had flared out ribcages and they packed some serious muscle, which helped when the conditions were extreme. They were probably not as agile as Homo sapiens, therefore they would not have been as good at running after prey, which could have reduced their chances of survival. They also needed twice the calories of Homo sapiens, which meant they needed more food, which meant once food was scarce, they might have died because of the lack of food.

  2. There are many theories about how Neanderthals became extinct. Considering that their spears were designed for thrusting rather than throwing, this could have led to difficulties once they needed to hunt on the open plains. What’s worse, they needed more calories than Homo sapiens, which meant they needed more food, but because it was difficult and dangerous to hunt, they probably experienced problems with severe food shortages. Also, their prominent brows and the females’ narrow pelvises might have led to difficulties in giving birth to their children. In a situation where fewer and fewer women were available to become mothers, even a few women having birthing difficulties could have contributed to the gradual extinction of this race of human beings.

  3. The Neanderthals had a seemingly interesting body shape. Their ribcage flared outwards and down, causing them to have a stocky build which could have been an advantage in cold adaptation. Scientists have also found that the skull of a Neanderthal is bigger, which can support a bigger brain. The Neanderthals might have also had smaller ear canals, which appear to be linked to reduced agility. That means they wouldn’t have been able to run after their prey without it bolting away. They needed the element of surprise: ambush hunting. When some Neanderthal spears were found, their shape and weight supported the theory of Neanderthals being ambush hunters. The spears weren’t thin or light enough to be thrown from a distance, so they were probably made for thrusting. This could have made hunting on the open plains very difficult for them. Giving birth to a Neanderthal baby would have been very painful considering the fact that the babies’ brow ridges were more prominent than ours and the Neanderthal women’s pelvises smaller. During the Ice Age, the Neanderthals were well prepared and well adapted. They had a heat-conserving ribcage, so they could withstand the cold better than Homo sapiens. The scary thing is that they died out and we survived, even though we modern humans would have been more likely to suffer from hypothermia and frostbite.

  4. The Neanderthals are very interesting beings; they were probably adapted to the cold of the Ice Ages and they probably had a bigger brain then any Homo sapien. Surprisingly they died out even with their well-adapted bodies. It is very interesting that they supposedly had bigger brains yet they still died out. It is also very interesting that they supposedly had higher voices because many people imagine them as gruff low-voiced monsters. It is a shame that no Neanderthal art has been found because that would be very nice to see. I also think that it’s a major disadvantage to need more calories because it means you need to hunt all day therefore tiring you out. I also think their ‘thrusting’ method was good for killing big prey, but possibly a disadvantage on the open plains.
    By Ben

  5. I enjoyed learning about the Neanderthals and how they lived their lives. Finding out more and more new things about the Neanderthals has changed my perspective on the prehistoric times.
    I found it very interesting that the Neanderthals buried their dead, even 120,000 years ago. I honestly would like to know why they buried their dead and if they did it intentionally or if it was just an accident the first time.
    I also found it interesting that there might be some actual Neanderthal genes in some humans today, so that raises the theory that the Neanderthals actually did interbreed with Homo sapiens and that the Neanderthals may not be completely wiped off the face of the Earth.
    I hope to find out more about the Neanderthals and their lifestyle later on.

  6. Some of the reasons that might have led to the extinction of the Neanderthals are:
    -They may have found it difficult to hunt for food when food was scarce (so they may have died of hunger or at least found it difficult to survive)
    -A significant change of weather could have caused changes to the Neanderthals’ environment, and this could have affected the Neanderthals’ hunting techniques. They were used to hunting in forests, using spears for thrusting, as opposed to throwing spears on the open plains.

    Some interesting facts about the Neanderthals are:
    -The Neanderthals had brains 20% bigger than ours today
    -The Neanderthals’ canals (inner ears) were smaller than ours – an anatomical trait which has been linked to reduced agility
    -They didn’t throw their weapons as our ancestors did, they thrust them
    -They were well adapted to the cold and ice, but they were not at as well adapted to open plains

  7. I think that we can never know for sure what caused the extinction of the Neanderthals, but we can develop a number of theories. It may have been a combination of factors that slowly brought them nearer to extinction. My opinion is that it was probably the lack of woods to hunt in, and how their spears were of less use in the grasslands which due to climate change were slowly taking over from the woodlands. Furthermore, the women’s narrow pelvises may have reduced the probability of successful births and mother/child survival. Every factor that makes childbirth and survival more difficult might have contributed to the eventual extinction of the Neanderthals. The Neanderthals would probably have needed a lot more food than us, so Homo sapiens, with their advanced spears, lower food needs, wider pelvises and more agile bodies would survive the Neanderthals. It might be the other way around if the world were still plunged in the Ice Ages, for the Neanderthals’ bodies were much better suited to the cold than ours. But the climate was in our favour, so we survived and they didn’t.

  8. Neanderthals were an ancient and primitive form of the human species that is now extinct. Neanderthals seem very interesting to us now because they had adapted to the Ice Age period which had intense cold conditions. The Neanderthals had an extremely powerful body which could retain heat much better than the typical human. Their muscles would have acted as an insulator, and their deep chest could have helped to keep their organs warm. It is conceivable that Neanderthals appeared around 200,000 years ago, but around 35,000 years ago they began to die out, eventually becoming extinct. One theory is that they died out because they were out-numbered by a superior species named Homo sapiens. The modern Humans were threats to Neanderthals as Neanderthals had developed a range of weapons made for thrusting not throwing while the humans had lighter spears which would benefit them more when hunting on the open plains. The rapid change in weather conditions might have affected the death of the Neanderthals as well. I think that the Neanderthals were not as able to adapt to new conditions as Homo sapiens. Their hunting skills were impressive, but not as well suited to the open plains, where increasingly the Homo sapiens, with their greater agility and lighter spears, might have been able to find more food than the Neanderthals.

  9. It was extremely interesting learning about the Neanderthals, because I believe they are one of the most interesting and unique creatures ever found on earth. There is scientific evidence that shows the Neanderthals had many features of a modern-day human, Homo sapiens, but there is also evidence shown in skeletons that the Neanderthals had many different attributes.
    They had a much heavier build than ours and were a lot stronger, especially in the arms and hands. Their skulls also show that they had no prominent chin; their foreheads sloped backwards which meant their brain case was lower but slightly longer, which led to them having a slightly larger brain than that of modern humans. From that evidence, scientists believe the Neanderthals brain was twenty per cent bigger than a modern day humans.
    I also think that their ‘thrusting’ method of hunting was extremely effective when it came to hunting big animals like red deer, horse and wild cattle, but when the forest began to recede, giving way to open plains, this method of hunting was possibly a significant disadvantage, which could have been a contributing factor in their extinction.

  10. Factors leading to the extinction of the Neanderthals

    I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Neanderthals and I found the evidence very interesting. One of the things I found most interesting was how similar they are to us; this is shown by the evidence that they buried their dead and lived in small bands. But even though we are similar in many ways we also have a lot of differences like the fact that we have narrow hips and a definite waist, while they had a stockier build; this is because their ribs flared outwards instead of inwards as Homo sapien ribs do. It was very surprising to find out that Neanderthals’ brains were about 20% larger than an average human brain.
    There are many different theories about how Neanderthals became extinct. I believe that a lot of evidence shows that one of the main reasons for their extinction was their hunting methods and weapons; this is because they were ambush hunters. This hunting style worked very well in the forests, but as the climate began to change and the amount of woodlands in which they could live began to diminish, it became harder and harder for the Neanderthals to find places to hunt; their weapons, which were ideal for woodland hunting because they were heavy and used for thrusting instead of throwing, were not suited to hunting in the open as they were not easily thrown. Another factor may that Neanderthals had large heads and narrow pelvises, which could have made giving birth an even more painful and difficult task. This alone could have been enough to push an already weakened race to the point of extinction and this combined with the increasingly difficult hunting conditions could have contributed to the extinction of the Neanderthals.
    By Jason

  11. The Neanderthals were really fascinating. The fact that they were able to survive through the Ice Ages was mesmerizing. Possibilities from the evidence found was that they were short people with a rib cage that flared out; this could be the reason why they could retain heat better, meaning they could live through the Ice Ages. Along with this there were also some disadvantages in their body type: for instance, they also had prominent brow ridges and narrow pelvises, which may have meant birth was more than usually painful and difficult for them, resulting in a slow-growing population. I found out that in 1999, a skeleton of a child was found from around 25,000 years ago. The scientists’ theory was that it was a mixture of a Neanderthal and a modern human; one theory is that Homo sapiens and Neanderthals interbred. One interpretation of evidence was that the modern humans and Neanderthals coexisted in the same parts of Europe for many thousands of years. I think that the Neanderthals were exposed to extinction because the modern humans (Homo sapiens) had more advanced weapons and hunting techniques, which could have meant that they were better able to cope with changing conditions. The constant weather change was also a major factor that may have contributed to the decline in the Neanderthal population. This is because the weather affected their surroundings reducing the number of thick-treed forests, as well as the possibility that their hunting methods did not suit the open plains. Scientists are not certain but suggest that most people living outside Africa contain a small number of Neanderthal genes in them. This is because many scientists believe that Neanderthals migrated around Eurasia (Europe and Asia). I believe that Neanderthals might have died out due to an less sophisticated lifestyle, a reduced ability to adapt to changing conditions and their unusual bone structure.

    Below are some interesting links I found about Neanderthals.

    http://www.pnas.org/content/105/38/14241.full.pdf https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/neanderthal/ http://genetics.thetech.org/original_news/news37

  12. Neanderthals were another human species who first appeared on earth about 200,000 years ago. In many respects they were similar to us: they walked upright, they made tools and they buried their dead. They also managed to survive one of the toughest periods: the Ice Ages. However, they mysteriously disappeared or became extinct about 30,000 years ago. No one knows for certain how they became extinct.
    Scientists know that Neanderthals did not farm, but they probably did know how to speak, and their voices were probably very high, based on certain aspects of their skeleton. One difference from Homo sapiens is that, to the best of our knowledge, they did not leave any rock art.
    They had a brain 20% bigger than ours, which means they could have been smarter than us; furthermore, they definitely had some solid hunting skills.
    Some evidence shows that maybe they became extinct because after the Ice Ages, the woodland areas where the Neanderthals lived began to diminish, and the Neanderthals only ate mostly meat; because of the Ice Age, the animals they liked to eat either became more difficult to hunt or began to die out. So it was even harder for them to hunt. It also is likely that they had a lot of trouble with child birth, which could also be a factor contributing to their extinction.

  13. I have had a lot of fun learning about the Neanderthals and I have learned many interesting facts. Now that I know about them I think they are nearly the most unique creature that ever lived.
    The first Neanderthal skull was discovered on the military outpost of Gibraltar. It was undoubtedly human, but it also had some ape-like features. The evidence shows that we were not the only ones to walk on the earth’s surface.

    They looked much like a modern human but they are much shorter, but also stocky and very powerful. Their skulls show that they had a less prominent chin and their foreheads sloped backwards. They were very similar creatures but they were also very different.

    There are many theories about why the Neanderthals died out. I agree with some theorists who argue that they may have died out because their hunting style, though well adapted to forest hunting in the Ice Ages, was less suited to hunting on the open plains.

    I have learned so much about the Neanderthals from all the documentaries and websites, but there is still a great deal of information for me to learn.

  14. There are many theories as to why the Neanderthals became extinct. One theory is that they died out because of many birthing problems that they had, including the fact that the Neanderthal babies had huge heads and the females had narrow pelvises. This meant that many women died while giving birth. It is also possible that they died out because they were so well adapted to the cold and they couldn’t adapt well enough to the weather that had suddenly changed. There is also the fact that the Neanderthals weapons were not suited to the changing environment. They were made for thrusting and not throwing like the Homo sapiens much lighter spears. They needed light spears that could be thrown to hunt in the open plains. They also required more calories, (to help retain muscle which helped them keep warm in the cold) so they needed to eat and hunt more often. This would have meant that when the environment started changing, and there were fewer animals, they would have to spend almost the whole day hunting. This would tire them out too. I think many of these factors combined would have led to the extinction of the Neanderthals.

  15. Learning about the Neanderthals was very interesting and enjoyable. I found out many new things about the Neanderthals like what they may have looked like as well as how they could have sounded. I also learnt that there ribs flared outwards whereas our ribs goes inwards. Neanderthals lived all across Europe and had larger skulls to fit their larger brains.
    I believe that Neanderthals greatest downfall was their lack of ability to adapt to their new environment which was hard for them to do because their body wasn’t as agile as that of the Homo sapiens. The Neanderthals body was well adapted to the cold but obviously not for running across open plains to catch their food. Female Neanderthals must have a hard time giving birth due to their small pelvises which might have been a factor in their extinction. Neanderthals’ tools and weapons were very heavy and basic compared to the Homo sapiens’ tools and weapons.

  16. History Comment

    I’ve really enjoyed learning all about Neanderthals these last few weeks!! I’ve learnt a number of new things, which have changed the way I think about Neanderthals and the Prehistoric period in general.

    One of the things I find really interesting about them is how different we may have been from Neanderthals, and yet how many similarities there could have been between both species. I think its a real shame that there aren’t any Neanderthals around today, because it would be really interesting to compare both of our species. For instance, I was really surprised to hear what their voices may have sounded like, and would love to be able to go back in time, and compare the real thing to the interpretation that I’ve heard. Another thing that really surprised me was just how muscular they are thought to be, and I wonder what that would be like, having to eat nearly double what we eat each day in order to survive.

    I think, as a few films have pointed out, the Neanderthals basically adapted too well to one climate, and so when the environment changed, they were at a great disadvantage to their more versatile counterparts, Homo sapien. As time wore on, and the climate fluctuated, the odds started stacking up against the Neanderthals, and they became more and more disadvantaged and vulnerable, whereas modern humans flourished, since they were able to hunt the foods that were unobtainable to the Neanderthals, for instance, by hunting on the open plains.

    Another possible factor that would have made it very hard for the Neanderthals to flourish is the problems they might have had in giving birth. As we have seen from the evidence, Neanderthals had very large foreheads, which in itself would have been a disadvantage, but coupled with the smaller pelvis that Neanderthal women had, giving birth would have been an even more difficult and dangerous process for them. This would also have made it extremely difficult to expand the population, as these birthing problems would mean that many births would be unsuccessful, possibly resulting in the death of both the mother and the unborn child. These problems could have been a huge barrier to the Neanderthals, greatly limiting their ability to spread and populate the country.

    Overall, I think that Neanderthals are a very interesting species, and while we do know a great deal about them, there are still a whole host of mysteries that are still unsolved.

    Harrison 7E

  17. I think that we won’t know for sure what caused the Neanderthals to become extinct for a while but we can certainly propose some theories about what might have happened.
    I enjoyed learning about the Neanderthals, because this topic was really interesting and informative.
    What I found interesting about the Neanderthals is that after the Ice Ages, around 30,000 years ago, they just suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth.
    What might have made the Neanderthals vulnerable to extinction? Some of the things that might have made the Neanderthals vulnerable are: Their weapons weren’t made for attacks on the open plains, but rather for ambushes. Their bigger head may have led to problems for birth, along with the Neanderthal women’s narrow pelvises. This may have made giving birth an even more difficult and dangerous experience. In general they were probably less agile than Homo sapiens, which might have made hunting on the open plains problematic. Furthermore Neanderthals had to eat much more food which might have reduced their chances of survival.

  18. Neanderthals are an extinct species of humans that are believed to have disappeared around 30,000 years ago. Neanderthals were replaced by a species that was possibly more adaptable and agile, Homo sapiens. Archaeological evidence shows that the earliest Neanderthals had lived in Europe about 200,000 years ago. Remains of Neanderthals have been found all over Europe. From the remains of Neanderthals, scientists have been able to see how different they were compared to modern humans. The skeleton remains show that their ribcage flared out and they didn’t really have a pronounced waist like ours. Because of the way their waist flared out and their muscular build, they were more compact and their body shape acted as an insulator, which helped them during the Ice Age. There have been many theories about how the Neanderthals died out. One theory is that after the Ice Age, the forests diminished and there was much more open land. Due to this change in the environment, the Neanderthals were not well adapted to the new way they had to hunt and this may have reduced their chances of survival. Some evidence suggests that the way Neanderthals hunted was through thrusting their heavy spears during an ambush; their spears couldn’t be thrown long distances to kill animals on the open plains. It is highly probable that this placed them at risk, because they would have been less successful in hunting for meat, on which they were highly dependent. In conclusion I thought the Neanderthals were really interesting because of their lifestyle and all the theories about how they may have died out.

  19. Learning about the Neanderthals has been an interesting task, it intrigued me in many ways and this has taught me a lot. The Neanderthals were similar to us yet also quite different.
    Neanderthals were a species of human that lived from approximately 200,000 years ago until they become extinct about 30,000 years ago. They had a differently shaped ribcage, so they didn’t have a waist. Furthermore, this weirdly shaped ribcage would have helped them to sustain more body heat during the ice ages. They may have had a high-pitched voice and they were shorter, stronger and more heavily built than modern humans. Their heads showed that they did not have prominent chins and that their foreheads sloped backwards. They also had a larger brain than ours by 20%. Their hunting method was a silent ambush; they used the forest as coverage in order to thrust their weapons at the target. They were well adapted to the cold, but when climate changes caused the forest where they hunted to diminish, they may not have been so well adapted to the new environment.

  20. Did we eat the Neanderthals? (Ben 7E)

    As a student I have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Neanderthals.

    As an answer to the heading question, almost certainly not; there is no proof or evidence that Homo sapiens ate the Neanderthals on arriving in Europe. It is much more likely that they simply were a more capable species and outdid the Neanderthals on the newly formed flatlands and plains with better weapons and a better physique for the changing environment.

    Neanderthals were also likely to need many calories to keep their very muscular bodies working; sources of meat may have become scarce for them. Their bodies would have been very good at insulating heat. Neanderthals must have been very capable hunters to be able to keep up with their calorie needs.

    Therefore, it is actually more likely that Neanderthals ate Humans ☻

    P.S There isn’t any evidence that proves that either.

  21. I really enjoyed learning about the Neanderthals and have further learnt about them through a number of websites. Archaeological findings revealed that the first Neanderthals lived in Europe at least 200,000 years ago and then died out about 30,000 years ago. They lived through many ice ages due to being able to preserve heat better than us and they had bigger brains. They managed to hunt animals by using group strategy and rather advanced weapons.
    One possible reason for their extinction is that when the Homo sapiens spread out over Europe they had better ways to hunt and there may not have been enough resources for the Neanderthals to maintain their population.
    Another possible reason that they died out is that the women may have experienced birthing issues due to narrow pelvises; with fewer babies being born, there might have been fewer women in the next generation to have babies.
    They needed a lot more food than we do and did not have ranged weapons, which was a disadvantage because there was more chance of them getting injured while hunting and they therefore had less chance of killing the animals that they needed.
    The last possible reason as to why the might have died out that I found is that there was a change in temperature and they were not well adjusted to the warm weather and environment, which may have been a factor in their continuing survival.
    There are many possibilities as to why they died out but there is not a single definite reason.

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