Neanderthal Legacy

Download or read book The Neanderthal Legacy written by Paul A. Mellars and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2015-07-28 with total page 493 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Neanderthals populated western Europe from nearly 250,000 to 30,000 years ago when they disappeared from the archaeological record. In turn, populations of anatomically modern humans, Homo sapiens, came to dominate the area. Seeking to understand the nature of this replacement, which has become a hotly debated issue, Paul Mellars brings together an unprecedented amount of information on the behavior of Neanderthals. His comprehensive overview ranges from the evidence of tool manufacture and related patterns of lithic technology, through the issues of subsistence and settlement patterns, to the more controversial evidence for social organization, cognition, and intelligence. Mellars argues that previous attempts to characterize Neanderthal behavior as either "modern" or "ape-like" are both overstatements. We can better comprehend the replacement of Neanderthals, he maintains, by concentrating on the social and demographic structure of Neanderthal populations and on their specific adaptations to the harsh ecological conditions of the last glaciation. Mellars's approach to these issues is grounded firmly in his archaeological evidence. He illustrates the implications of these findings by drawing from the methods of comparative socioecology, primate studies, and Pleistocene paleoecology. The book provides a detailed review of the climatic and environmental background to Neanderthal occupation in Europe, and of the currently topical issues of the behavioral and biological transition from Neanderthal to fully "modern" populations.

Download or read book The Neanderthal Legacy written by Paul Mellars and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Good books on Neanderthals have been a pleasing feature of the last few years; especially notable being The Neanderthals (Trinkhaus and Shipman 1994) and the prize-winning, In Search of the Neanderthals (Stringer and Gamble 1994).

Download or read book The Neanderthal Legacy written by Stan Gooch and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2008-04-18 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A direct appeal for a revolution in our educational system to restore the connection with our Neanderthal heritage • Examines the genetic evidence for Neanderthal/Cro-Magnon crossbreeding and the dual-nature effects this hybrid cross produced • Explains the influence of the Neanderthal’s enlarged cerebellum on our modern brain function and psychic and paranormal abilities In The Neanderthal Legacy, eminent psychologist and paranormal researcher Stan Gooch brings together the wide-ranging investigative strands of his lifetime of study of the human brain. One of the world’s leading experts on the influence of Neanderthal Man on the cultural and biological development of humanity, Gooch contends that the Neanderthals’ enlarged cerebellum was a source of deep connection with the psychic and dream worlds, which remains extant in modern man in paranormal phenomena that conventional science cannot explain. Gooch offers new scientific evidence of the crossbreeding between Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons that is responsible for the dichotomous nature of our feelings, thoughts, impressions, beliefs, and even our cultural mores and politics. The “hybrid vigor” produced by this mating has gifted modern man with abilities and sensibilities that the scientific establishment and conventional educational system entirely ignore. The author explores the legacy of our Neanderthal ancestors in an effort to awaken their virtues and qualities, which are so needed in our modern world.

Download or read book The Neanderthals and Cro-Magnon written by Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-09-15 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading In popular culture, the term Neanderthal is used as a colloquial insult for a degenerate or someone perceived as stupid. This seems to have been the case even from the first recognition of the Neanderthals as a species. The first Neanderthal fossil discovery was that of a child's skull in Belgium in 1829, but it was badly damaged. Another would be discovered in 1856 in a limestone mine of the Neanderthal region of what is present-day Germany, and a skull with differing distinct traits (indicating a different species than the Neanderthals) would be discovered just over a decade later in southwestern France. The latter specimen would come to be recognized as an example of the species Homo Sapiens, and these anatomically modern humans arrived in Europe between 45,000 and 43,000 years ago, around the time the Neanderthals are believed to started going extinct. The Neanderthals are a member of the genus Homo just like Homo sapiens and share roughly 99.7% of their DNA with modern humans (Reynolds and Gallagher 2012). Both species even lived briefly during the same time in Eurasia. However, the Neanderthals evolved separately in Europe, away from modern humans, who evolved in Africa. The Neanderthals lived in Europe and Asia for nearly 200,000 years and thrived in these regions, but they went extinct between 40,000 and 30,000 years ago, around the same time that modern humans began arriving in Europe. This has prompted much speculation as to the nature of the interactions between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, especially since some researchers believe they interacted with each other for over 5,000 years before the Neanderthals began going extinct at different times across Europe. One hypothesis is that Homo sapiens displaced the Neanderthals and were better suited for the environment, and it is obviously possible if not likely that these two groups had become competitors for food and other resources, with Homo sapiens being more successful in the end. If such close interactions were taking place, there is also a possibility that the relatively new-to-Europe Homo sapiens brought pathogens from Africa with them that were unknown to the Neanderthal's immune system. A more recent example of this type of resulting interaction is the European expansion into the Americas, which brought diseases like smallpox that the natives of America had never experienced before, especially diseases resulting from the domestication of animals. It is possible that the domestication of the dog by Homo sapiens may have contributed in spreading foreign diseases among the Neanderthals. Whether or not this occurred, it is highly likely that the interactions between the two groups became much more intimate at one point. The Neanderthals were able to make and use a diverse set of sophisticated tools, control fire, make and wear clothing, and create decorations and ornaments. There is even evidence that the Neanderthal buried their dead with grave offerings, a practice that is also associated with later Homo sapiens, which suggests the two species were exchanging ideas such as tool making and rituals. Archaeological sites from Spain to Russia have been discovered that contain transitional stone tools associated with either Homo sapiens or Neanderthals. From the archaeological evidence alone, it is difficult to determine the level of interactions that were held at these sites. These sites may have been used at the same time. The Neanderthals and Cro-Magnon: The History and Legacy of the First People to Migrate to Europe looks at the evolution of both and examines the theories regarding their histories and interactions. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Neanderthals and Cro-Magnon like never before.

Download or read book Neanderthal Man written by Svante PŠŠbo and published by Basic Books (AZ). This book was released on 2014-02-11 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An influential geneticist traces his investigation into the genes of humanity's closest evolutionary relatives, explaining what his sequencing of the Neanderthal genome has revealed about their extinction and the origins of modern humans.

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology and Anthropology of Hunter-Gatherers written by Vicki Cummings and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2014-04-24 with total page 1361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For more than a century, the study of hunting and gathering societies has been central to the development of both archaeology and anthropology as academic disciplines, and has also generated widespread public interest and debate. The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology and Anthropology of Hunter-Gatherers provides a comprehensive review of hunter-gatherer studies to date, including critical engagements with older debates, new theoretical perspectives, and renewed obligations for greater engagement between researchers and indigenous communities. Chapters provide in-depth archaeological, historical, and anthropological case-studies, and examine far-reaching questions about human social relations, attitudes to technology, ecology, and management of resources and the environment, as well as issues of diet, health, and gender relations - all central topics in hunter-gatherer research, but also themes that have great relevance for modern global society and its future challenges. The Handbook also provides a strategic vision for how the integration of new methods, approaches, and study regions can ensure that future research into the archaeology and anthropology of hunter-gatherers will continue to deliver penetrating insights into the factors that underlie all human diversity.

Download or read book Atlantis and the Kingdom of the Neanderthals written by Colin Wilson and published by Bear. This book was released on 2006-06-27 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The history of Neanderthal influence from Atlantis to the contemporary era • Provides evidence of Neanderthal man’s superior intelligence • Explores the unexplained scientific and architectural feats of ancient civilizations • Presents an alternative history of humankind since 7500 B.C. with an emphasis on esoteric traditions and the history of Christianity from the Essenes onward In Atlantis and the Kingdom of the Neanderthals Colin Wilson presents evidence of a widespread Neanderthal civilization as the origin of sophisticated ancient knowledge. Examining remarkable archaeological discoveries that date back millennia, he suggests that civilization on Earth is far older than we have previously realized. Using this information as a springboard, Wilson then fills in the gaps in the past 100,000 years of human history, providing answers to previously unexplained scientific and architectural feats of ancient civilizations. Wilson shows that not only did Atlantis exist but that the civilizing force behind it was the Neanderthals. Far from being the violent brutes they are traditionally depicted as, Wilson shows that the Neanderthals had sophisticated mathematical and astrological knowledge, including an understanding of the precession of the equinoxes, and that they possessed advanced telepathic abilities akin to the “group consciousness” evident in flocks of birds and schools of fish. These abilities, he demonstrates, have been transmitted through the ages by the various keepers of the hermetic tradition--including the Templars, Freemasons, and other secret societies. In the course of his investigation, Wilson also finds new information about historical links between the Masonic tradition and the Essenes that indicate that America was “discovered” long before Columbus set sail and that Jesus actually survived crucifixion and fled to France with his wife Mary Magdalene.