Neanderthal and Modern Human Differences

Neanderthal and Modern Human Differences and Similarities

According to Trinkaus, Neanderthals do not deserve their reputation as evolutionary lugs. The name Neanderthal has become a byword for stupidity and boorishness. However, do the Neanderthals deserve this characterization? Examinations of the Neanderthal anatomy do not indicate that Neanderthal anatomy is not any way inferior to modern humans. Neanderthals have been added officially to the human species Homo sapiens, though they are mostly placed in their own subspecies, Homo sapiens neanderthalensis.

While the Neanderthals are not inferior, there are quite some differences between them and modern humans. Why the Neanderthals evolved 100,000 years ago in Europe and the Near East and why they were replaced by modern man is unknown. Trinkaus postulates that there is some behavioral significance to the anatomical differences between the Neanderthals and other human groups is to find out what the natural selection had to do with this process. The bottom line question is what happened to the Neanderthals themselves.

Everything about the Neanderthals with reference to strength including the muscles ligaments and bones indicates strength and the ability to generate and deal with stress. The bones themselves are modified to have more bone and less marrow to deal with these heavier stresses. Even the hands show identifiable crests to indicate where the muscle attaches to the hands. On modern human hand bones there are none, indicating that the attaching muscles were not as strong or robust. All of this is valid also for the lower limbs (Trinkaus 140-141).

The reasons for the extinction of the Neanderthals are one of three possibilities including environmental, interbreeding with modern humans and violent conflict. Given the possibility of intergroup conflict, any evidence of trauma is dealt with problematically by archaeologists and anthropologists. Certainly, it is also possible that all of the above possibly true in some way and may have been happening globally at the same time.

With regard to the theory that postulates a violent end for the Neanderthals, there is a possibility that the damage to the fossilized bones might have come post mortem. Bone is very fragile and rock slides, cave-ins etc. could cause damage to the bones after the demise of the skeleton's owner. Trinkaus maintains that among the examples of supposed violence, only a few exceptional cases stand up to scrutiny. This would include the Shanidar 3 Iraq rib bone that undoubtedly betrays injury from a thrown spear. Trnkaus further maintains that this is the only absolutely conclusive evidence found of a violent encounter between modern man and his Neanderthal cousins (ibid. 143).

Although less definitive, Shanidar 1 shows injuries that might have been due to a violent encounter, although and accident can not be ruled out, although it is not clear whether the atrophied right arm was amputated or was due to a blow to the left side of the skull that caused paralysis to that right arm. Other Shanidar cave skeletons had only minor injuries, none of which proves conclusively whether violence was involved.

What is certain is that the Shanidar skeletons are old. Many show signs of arthritic degeneration and probably died at advanced ages between 40 to 60 years of age.