Rethink Neanderthals Essay

According to “Rethinking Neanderthals,” the typical tool kit of a Neanderthal contained a variation of large spears and knives. Neanderthals used animal bones to cut into meat and to hunt animals. Other tools were found to be useful for making clothing and other tools were used for woodworking. They also found a butchered reindeer bone and claimed it was used to cut meat. They also stated that these tools used for meat cutting were shaped in a hand shape D. Inside the cave, they found many hunting tools, these findings helped debunk the hypothesis that Neanderthals were non-intelligent. In fact, these paleoanthropologist that went in these caves found that Neanderthals were in fact intelligent and were proficient enough to organize a hunt. They also concluded that Neanderthals were able to teach other Neanderthals the principles of tool making. The paleoanthropologist saw an innovation of tool making when the Neanderthals switched from creating simple flaking stones to developing long thin stone blades. Therefore, Neanderthals were using tools as an innovation and technology to adapt to their new environment, by adjusting to their anatomy, as well as creating symbolism. According to “Rethinking Neanderthals,” some researchers believe Neanderthals had facility for language because they were able to communicate by tool

In “Rethinking Neanderthals,” we learn how these early hominins used tools as a form of communication and culture. In “Human Hybrids,” we learn how the modern human has similar DNA sequences with Neanderthals and Denisovans. In “The Naked Truth,” we learn how modern humans became hairless due to archaic human’s adaptation to their environment and physiology. In class, we have discussed the rise of early hominins and how they differ from each other. We learned about the importance of tool-making, symbolism, bipedalism, and brain