ANTH 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Neanderthal, Levallois Technique, Mousterian
Document Summary
H. neanderthalensis dates from 130,000 to 35,000 years. Neanderthals were morphologically very similar to h. sapiens but shorter and much more robust: very strenuous lines, animal hunting, large bones, suffered a lot of trauma and damage. H. neanderthalensis fossils are found exclusively in europe and s. w. Neanderthals are sometimes considered a sub-species of h. sapiens h. sapiens neanderthalensis. Neanderthal skulls were massive, had continuous brow ridges, and protruding chin-less faces. They also have a retromolar space or gap behind their third molar. Wear patterns suggest this was used as a vice. H. neanderthalensis skulls are elongated, low, and have a diagnostic occipital bun in the rear. Modern human skulls are rounded, domed, smaller, and flatter. H. neanderthalensis skulls also have retromolar gap, no chin, and projecting midface. The first fossil found and identified as a hominid was in 1856 in the neander valley of. This became the type skull for the species h. neanderthalensis.
