From the caves and rock shelters of Europe and the Near East, new evidence is emerging that the ancient people we now know as Neanderthals did not simply scrape by and live in a delicate balance between ape and man, but surrounded themselves with creations of art and culture that we used to think we…
Antonio Rodriguez-Hidalgo discusses the site of Cova Foradada in Spain, and how the ways traditional cultures in North America and Australia use animal products today can shed light on how similar artifacts may have been used by Neanderthals.
Thomas Hughson discusses what Neanderthal art tells us about the internal lives of these ancient people, and what it means for where they fit into our modern understanding of religion and spirituality.
Matteo Scardovelli discusses a decorated piece of ochre from Blombos Cave in South Africa, and questions whether the beginning of decorative mark making is such a significant moment in human evolution, or whether other evidence shows fundamentally "human" behavior as far back as Homo erectus.
Davorka Radovcic discusses the discovery that the Neanderthals who lived at Krapina in Croatia harvested eagle talons and what it means for our understanding of the artistic and cultural capabilities of these early humans.
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