Krapina Cave, located in Hrvatsko Zagoje, Croatia, is home to what is considered “the most spectacular Neandertal find.” Most hominid discoveries contain scattered and/or shattered bones and, on occasion, a skull. In 1899, Dragutin Gorjanovic-Kramberger uncovered what is now referred to as Krapina Man. This was not the discovery of one man, but the excavation of approximately 884 bones depicting almost 75 different individuals, most of whom died between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four. Gorjanovic-Kramberger had uncovered an entire population. Scientists concluded that these Neandertals went extinct some 30,000 years ago in the face of evolutionary pressure from humans. The species survived for approximately 100,000 years.
These beings were simply described as beings of medium size and having a sloping forehead with no chin. Yet the anatomy of the Krapina Neandertal is not that simple and has posed many questions. The Krapina man had a remolar space in the lower jaw. The teeth are relatively large and the incisors and canine teeth are the largest of all Ice Age hunters. The Krapina man’s dental morphology indicates blood relations among individuals in the Krapina population. Scientists, on the basis of the direction of incisors, (in relation to the left and right sides of the jaw), were able to conclude that certain Krapina Neanderthals were right handed, and some left handed. This further indicates certain features of the neural organization of the brain and the ways in which stone artifacts were used and food bitten. These Neanderthals also possessed barrel-shaped chests and powerful forearms and hands, comparable to their younger European cousins. The Krapina man had a lighter build, larger face with widely separated eyes, and a broad crania. They closely resembled early Homo Sapiens, which has resulted in the speculation that Krapina Neanderthals were direct ancestors of early human populations of Central Europe.
Another controversial characteristic of the Krapina remain in their fragmentary nature. Numerous bones that were discovered around the walls of the cave had been burned and split lengthwise, probably to extract marrow. This may indicate that the Krapina population practiced cannibalism, first labeled by Gorjanovic-Kramberger upon discovery at the turn of the century. Recently, however, the bones have been re-examined by Mary Russel. She came to the conclusion that the Krapina population did not practice cannibalism, yet the bones had been ritually defleshed for a secondary burial ritual. Although this may be a reasonable discovery, Paola Villa questions Russel’s findings. Villa states that the soft tissue necessary for identifying cannibalism was not preserved in the fossil records, whereas cannibalism is destined to remain a highly speculative subject.
Just recently it has been discovered that the Krapina Neanderthal was far healthier than scientists may have suspected. Although individuals have been discovered who survived brutal injuries and have been compared to modern day rodeo bull riders in terms of the damage on their bodies, most were osteologically healthy. Most of the suffering was from normal biomechanical wear due to activities such as getting food, injury and age. Scientists were also able to document one of the earliest benign tumors found on an individual's rib, along with evidence that one individual may have had a surgical amputation of the hand, and several individuals suffered from osteoarthritis.
“And Oh So Healthy.” Archaeological Institute of America 1999 http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/neandernews.html
“Krapina’s Importance For Understanding Evolution.” Croatia Weekly 3 Sept. 1999 http://www.croatia.hr/CW/081/add2.html
“Prehistoric Archaeology: Old Stone Age.” Archaeology Net 1998 http://www.archaeology.net/prehistory/stone.html
Vassar. Krapina 1998 http://depts.vassar.edu/~mareed/evolution/Krapina.html
Author: Laura Pasek