Evolution And History

The Neandertals 193

the more derived, anatomically modern populations

of these regions of the last 30,000 years. For example,

paleoanthropologist C. Loring Brace observed that

“classic” Neandertal features (Figure 8.10) are com-

monly present in 10,000-year-old skulls from Denmark

and Norway.^29

Nevertheless, Neandertals are somewhat distinctive

when compared to more recent populations. Although

they held modern-sized brains (average cranial capacity

1,400 cc versus 1,300 cc for modern H. sapiens), Nean-

dertal skulls are notable for the protruding appearance

of the midfacial region. The wear patterns on their large

front teeth indicate that they may have been heavily used

for tasks other than chewing. In many individuals, front

teeth were worn down to the root stub by 35 to 40 years of

age. The large noses of Neandertals probably were neces-

sary to warm, moisten, and clean the dry, dusty frigid air

of the glacial climate, preventing damage to the lungs and

brain as seen in cold-adapted people of recent times. At

the back of the skull, the bunlike bony mass providing at-

tachment for the powerful neck muscles counteracted the

weight of a heavy face.

All Neandertal fossils indicate that both sexes were

muscular, with extremely robust and dense limb bones.

Relative to body mass, the limbs were short (as they are

in modern humans native to especially cold climates).

Their shoulder blades indicate the importance of over-

arm and downward thrusting movements. Their arms

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Projecting

midface

Large nasal

aperture

Low forehead

Projecting

midface

Large cranial

capacity

Low, arching

brow ridges

Occipital

bun

Lack of chin

Low forehead

This early 20th-century portrayal of the

La Chapelle-aux-Saints Neandertal,

based on the research of French pa-

leoanthropologist Marcellin Boule, makes

a powerfully negative statement about

the capabilities of this group as well as

their distance from living humans. In

looking at this sorry specimen, it is easy

to forget that this portrayal is not derived

directly from the fossil remains but

from the collective imagination of early

20th-century Europeans. While paleoan-

thropologists uniformly recognize the

inaccuracies and biases present in this

engraving, present-day reconstructions of

Neandertals still vary tremendously and

reflect the conflicting scientific theories

and beliefs about their place in our evo-

lutionary history.

Figure 8.10 Features of the skull seen in “classic”

Neandertals.

(^29) Ferrie, H. (1997). An interview with C. Loring Brace. Current Anthropol-
ogy 38, 861.