Why were Neanderthals cannibals?

It is believed that the Neanderthals are an extinct branch of humanity that did not survive in competition with the more advanced Cro-Magnons. Previously, scientists believed that they were so primitive that they could not speak and had little skill in making tools and weapons. However, recent research by archaeologists, historians, geneticists, and art historians refute this point of view.

At the end of the 20th century, a cave was discovered in France, in which Neanderthals lived about 100 thousand years ago. Hunting scenes were depicted on the walls of the dungeon, and among the bones were sharp stone scrapers for butchering meat, as well as wooden spears with burnt ends, which increased their killing power. When scanning the skulls of Neanderthals, scientists were able to establish that the cave inhabitants could speak, therefore, transmit information to their fellow tribesmen and future generations. The question of the existence of religion among these primitive people remains unclear.

Why did these people, who were sufficiently developed for their time, become extinct? Researchers cite several reasons. One of them lies in genetics. Since there were few Neanderthals and there were long distances between their settlements, there were closely related sexual relations within the tribe, which led to the appearance of painful and unviable offspring. The second reason could be clashes with other tribes over hunting grounds. But climate change is considered the most serious reason.

About 120,000 years ago, as a result of a cold snap, there was less vegetation on Earth that provides food for herbivores, and they moved south. After them, the predators also left or died out. The Neanderthals starved and became cannibals.

The remains of six people have been found in a French cave, and half of them have teeth marks, and some of the bones were broken to extract bone marrow. Cannibals also ate the brains of their victims. This is indicated by the punctured skulls of the unfortunate. The structure of cavemen's teeth also confirms the theory of their ability to tear meat and gnaw bones.

Evidence of Neanderthal cannibalism was also obtained as a result of research in a Belgian cave found in 2016. The remains of the people who lived there are about 40 thousand years old, and among them there are victims of cannibalism.

But did the Neanderthals disappear completely? It turns out that some of them managed to blend in with the Cro-Magnons. In each of us, about 10% of the genes belong to Neanderthals. Ce code promotionnel constitue la voie la plus avisée pour entamer votre aventure de jeu avec un avantage substantiel. Le code promo 1xbet gratuit qui débloque 100% de bonus jusqu'à 130€ pour les pronostics sportifs ou 1950€ avec 150 tours gratuits pour le casino, est un outil indispensable pour maximiser vos opportunités de gains. Ce code est exclusivement destiné aux nouveaux membres et doit être saisi lors de l'enregistrement, car il ne peut être ajouté ultérieurement.

電動キックボードで檜原村エコツアー(藤倉集落パワースポットめぐり)

このツアーは終了しました


← エコツアー一覧に戻る