The question of a separation in time between early modern Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals has been a question that has loomed over the archeological world and been debated by pre-historians for several years. Previous data supported a hypothesis that there was a definite separation of time between modern humans and Neanderthals based on the technological definition of their tools and weaponry. However new data collected at European sites suggest that these two species may have coexisted longer before the Neanderthal’s eventual demise.
Francois Leveque discovered one of the more recent Neanderthal skulls to date in 1979, near St.Cesaire, France. The age of the skull was tested to be 35,000 years old which would place it in an overlapping time period when early Homo sapiens were beginning to take a firm grasp as a force in European and African cultures. What made this discovery of particular interest was not in the location of the Neanderthal remains, but rather Cro-Magnon cultural tool sets in the vacinity of the Neanderthal skull. Although some would say that this is circumstantial evidence, the proximity of the Neanderthal skull to other Homo Sapien remains suggest that there was at one time a co-existing “village” or “tribe” of early humans and Neanderthals.
A supporter of the new research into the Neanderthal, Human debate is Dr.Jean-Jacques Hublin, the director of research at the Museum of Man in Paris. Dr. Hublin stated that, “ The existence of Neanderthal populations in southern Spain long after modern humans arrived in the north suggest that Neanderthals were not quickly replaced due to the overwhelming superiority of modern humans, as many archeologist have contended.” What makes the argument more supporting is that there are other sites where Neandertals and modern humans appeared to have co-existed. St.Cesaire being the most prominent site with actual fossils of both species side by side is the first site of great importance. Other sites in Israel have shown similar findings and have lead to hypothesis that Neandertals and modern humans may have indeed co-existed for up to 100, 000 years. (2)
With the current evidence at hand there are several notions to the ultimate demise of the Neanderthals. One possible scenario is the natural selection theory and even with the possibility of Neanderthal, human interbreeding, the genetic traits of Neanderthals eventually was replaced by the more dominant human traits. (3) Another scenario involving geographic isolation and elimination could be a leading theory due to the mass amount of Neanderthal fossils being discovered in the western European area. However, it seems evident that intellectually the average Neanderthal was lacking and, this could have lead to a “genetic bottleneck” effect on the Neanderthal which may have lead to it’s replacement by humans.
Link
1.)Prominent Hominid Fossilsaccessed: Feb 04 2000, http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/specimen.html
2.)Neanderthals and Modern Humans Coexisted Longer than Thought. Accessed: Feb 04 2000, http://www.asa.calvin/archive/evolution/199505-10/0905.html
3.)Mediterranean History Online Accessed: Feb 04 2000,by Joao Zilhao http://www.abaco-mac.it/articles/doc/006.htm
By Tom Higgins