ASM104 Week 7 Lecture #9: Neandertals (Part 2) (Lecture #42 Overall)

What tool industry did Neandertals use? What is the date range of this industry?

Mousterian; 200-40 Ka

Did the Mousterian Industry emphasize core or flake tools?

Flake tools

What new flake-making technique did Neandertals develop?

The Levallois Technique

What are the three steps of the Levallois Technique, given that you already have a core?

1. Prepare the core by flaking the edge

2. Modify the surface of the core

3. Strike the flake off using a single blow

The resulting flake is your tool

What are two reasons that the Levallois Technique enhanced tool-making?

1. It offered much more control over tool production

2. It was a more efficient use of raw materials

What was a result of the Levallois Technique offering much more control over tool production?

More predictable flake shapes

Why was the Levallois Technique a more efficient use of raw materials?

This is because the toolmaker could make multiple flakes from a single core

Instead of a specific diagnostic tool, what is considered the diagnostic form of the Mousterian Industry?

A diagnostic technique (the Levallois Technique)

How did the Mousterian tool industry influence the variety of standardized tool types?

It resulted in a greater variety of these tool types

What are three examples of categories of Mousterian tools?

Scrapers, points, and stabbing spears

Why can names given to tools by anthropologists, like “scrapers” and “points,” be misleading?

Anthropologists don’t actually know what the tools were used for

How did Neandertals likely make stabbing spears?

Stabbing spears were likely made from mounting stone “points” onto wooden handles

What are four uses of Mousterian tools, which are suggested by microwear analysis?

1. Cutting plant material

2. Cutting meat

3. Scraping hides

4. Shaping wood

What does the use of Mousterian tools for scraping hides suggest about what Neandertals produced using these tools?

This suggests that Neandertals processed skins to make simple clothing

What does the use of Mousterian tools for shaping wood suggest about what Neandertals produced using these tools?

This suggests that Neandertals had tools made from wood

Why is the Mousterian Industry considered stable? (three reasons)

1. Lasted for a long time

2. Found over a large area

3. Doesn’t show much variety from site to site

What memorable phrase describes the use of Mousterian tools?

Flexible but not innovative

How did Neandertals obtain food?

Primarily by hunting animals

How long were Neandertal lifespans? At what age would a Neandertal likely have been considered old?

Short lifespans – Individuals around the age of 40 would have been considered old

What two types of conditions did Neandertals live in? (one includes both a climate type and a statement about resources)

• Lived during very harsh climactic conditions

• However, Neandertals also lived during some times of warmth and an abundance of resources

Other than deer, what are four types of animals that Neandertals coexisted with, and which could have provided meat?

1. Woolly mammoths

2. Woolly rhinos

3. Giant bison

4. Horses

What are three types of deer that coexisted with Neandertals?

1. Reindeer

2. Roe deer

3. Red deer

What is the main piece of technology that Neandertals would have used to kill animals?

Stabbing spears

What are three unusual types of foods that Neandertals may have eaten, as listed in the general Neandertal diet list?

Shellfish, plant foods, mushrooms

How do we know that Neandertals ate some non-meat food?

Studies of the plaque on the teeth of Neandertal specimens suggest that they also ate non-meat foods that didn’t leave as much residue

What are three types of non-meat foods suggested by these plaque studies to be part of Neanderta diets?

Mushrooms, moss, and pine nut

What type of object provides evidence for Neandertal art?

Perforated shells

In what country were these perforated shells found? How old were they?

Found in Spain and date to 50,000 years ago

What type of art are these perforated shells associated with?

These shells are interpreted as ornamental pieces, such as jewelry that could be put on a string

What two artifacts were interpreted as a paint cup with a paintbrush?

1. A perforated shell with a mass of pigment residue inside of it

2. A horse bone with a pointed tip that also had pigment on it

What is another country where evidence for Neandertal art has been found? How old is this site?

Evidence of Neandertal art from France, dated to 40K years ago

What are these pieces of evidence of Neandertal art from France?

Animal teeth, shells, and ivory that had been pierced or had grooves carved into them

What type of art is this evidence from France believed to represent? Why?

·       The pierces and grooves allowed these parts of animals to be placed on a string

·       These bead-like pieces are thus considered evidence of early jewelry

What type of evidence is believed to represent Neandertal burials?

There is a particularly large number of surviving Neandertal skeletons that originate from underground

What are two benefits of burying Neandertal bones underground in the context of fossil preservation?

This would have allowed the skeletons to be protected from scavengers and the elements

What evidence suggests that certain Neandertal burial sites were specifically used as graves?

Some of these bodies were also buried in tightly flexed positions, which suggests that these sites were used as graves

What particularly important Neandertal site includes arms that are tightly flexed in this way?

This includes the Neandertal found at the Kabara site (in Israel)

Why don’t we know whether Neandertal burials had a spiritual context?

There is no evidence of “grave goods” that would have been left for the dead in a spiritual context

What is the more likely reason that Neandertals buried their dead? Why is this important?

• The more likely reason for these burials is that surviving Neandertals simply wanted to get the dead bodies out of the way

• Dead bodies were starting to smell after being left on the ground for a while, which might have attracted carnivores

What Neandertal burial site was traditionally thought to represent a symbolic burial?

§  The Neandertal burial site at Shanidar (in Iraq) was traditionally thought to represent a symbolic burial

What evidence suggests that the Shanidar site represents a symbolic burial? What specific burial practice would this represent?

·       In one of the graves, numerous clumps of flower pollen were found with the bones

·       This was interpreted as evidence for placing flowers around the body before burial

What actually caused this pollen to get into the site at Shanidar, according to a critical review of the evidence?

• However, a more critical review of this evidence showed that the area around the body was heavily disturbed by rodent burrows

• Therefore, the pollen was most likely tracked into the site by the gerbils, and was not part of the burial at all

What are two frequent components of Neandertal fossils that suggest that they endured a lot of skeletal stress?

·       We see this especially in the extreme wear of the teeth

·       We also frequently see traumatic injuries to the bone

What injury on one of the Shanidar skeletons exemplifies how much skeletal stress Neandertals endured?

·       This individual suffered a severe blow to the right temple (of the eye)

How did this injury affect the orbit and probably affect the individual’s vision?

This injury would have crushed the individual’s orbit and probably caused blindness in that eye

What would this injury have done to the right side of the body as a whole? What skeletal evidence suggests this?

This would have led to partial paralysis of the right side of the body, since his right arm bones were withered

What is a wound that appears on another Shanidar Neandertal skeleton? What was the most likely cause of this wound?

Showed evidence of a rib wound that was probably caused by a stabbing injury

Based on the placement of this rib wound, how would it have affected the lung?

The placement of this rib wound suggested that this injury would have punctured the lung

What evidence suggests that the individual lived for at least a few more weeks after the rib wound?

However, since we can see signs of partial healing in the bone, that individual must have lived for at least a few more weeks

One anthropologist found that the patterns of bone trauma seen in Neandertals are similar to those of what?

Modern rodeo riders

What does this comparison between Neandertal and rodeo rider bone trauma suggest about how Neandertals interacted with prey?

He interpreted this as suggesting that Neandertals had a lot of close interaction with large prey animals

How does the technology of Neandertals support the idea that Neandertals engaged in up-close interaction with predators?

• There is no indication that Neandertals had projectile weapon technology

• This means that all of the killing Neandertals did had to be up close to these big, dangerous animals

What is a good thing we can say about many of the severe bone traumas found in Neandertal fossils?

Many of the severe traumas in Neandertals are healed (even though these injuries would have prevented individuals from moving reliably for weeks)

What are two possible reasons that a Neandertal might have cared for another member of their species who was injured, which tie into Neandertal values? (one has two components)

·       It is possible that injured individuals were valued because they possessed experience or knowledge

·       It is also possible that other Neanderthals were simply compassionate towards injured individuals and valued taking care of them