Neanderthals cared for each other and survived into old age new research

PALAEOANTHROPOLOGY
Neanderthals cared for each other and survived into old age – new research

Neanderthals were hunter-gatherers, living in harsh environments, mostly colder than today. And of course they had to face different dangers to modern humans – not only during the hunt, but also because they shared ecosystems with large carnivores such as lions, leopards and hyenas.

But despite this harsh life of the hunter gatherer, our research indicates that some Neanderthals lived to be fairly old and even had some of the signs of age related illnesses – such as degenerative lesions in the spine, consistent with osteoarthritis. Our research also found that an adult male Neanderthal survived bone fractures. And when he died, he was buried by members of his group.

Introducing the Neanderthals

The first fossil remain of a Neanderthal was found in 1829 in Belgium. But it was not until 1856 that the species was named after the discovery of a partial skeleton in Germany. The site (called Feldhofer) was located in the Neander valley. In old German “valley” is written “thal” and hence the scientific name Homo neanderthalensis, which means “the humans from the Neander valley”, was born.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the fossils of several Neanderthals were found in France – comprising the most complete skeletons found to that date. The region, which is on the verges of the rivers Dordogne and Vezère, is an archaeological hotspot with a number of famous sites, such as the Cro-Magnon rockshelter, Lascaux, and La Chapelle-aux-Saints.

More:
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2018/04/neanderthals-cared-for-each-other-and-survived-into-old-age-new-research/118812