Neanderthals: just a people group?
Neanderthals lived in Eurasia before and during the ice age. Their fossil remains were distinct
from those of other ancient people groups then and modern people today. Neanderthals seemed to have lived in small, isolated groups
that sheltered only in caves and under overhanging cliffs, although their building shelters elsewhere cannot be ruled out.
Evolutionary
anthropologists and artists, due to presumptions based on evolutionary bias portrayed Neanderthals as brutish, hump-backed, barrel-chested,
with low intelligence, lacking fine motor skills, and unable to speak.[1][2][3] All these presumptions have been disproved as more
Neanderthal skeletons and artifacts have been found. Why evolutionists pushed these ideas goes back to their assumption that man is
an animal that evolved originally from a single cell through various animal life forms advancing to become what man is today.
“Even
on the purely biological plane there is a wide, unbridgeable chasm between man and beast, as illustrated by the following four considerations:
1. The human brain possesses qualities ... that have no parallel in the animal world...
2. Man possesses the faculty of speech...
3. Only
man is fully bipedal...
4. Only man is able to
express emotions e.g., joy, sadness, hope, laughter, shyness). Some animals seem to have similar abilities, but they cannot be compared
with human emotions.” [4]
Trying to make man an animal lacks scientific basis. Although man and mammals have many anatomical similarities
(e.g., lungs, heart, brain, mouth, bones), the evidence points to the uniqueness of man. Neanderthals possessed what makes man unique
as will be demonstrated in this article. Neanderthals and modern man (humans) are therefore cousins. Calling animals cousins of man
is inappropriate. Likewise placing man under the Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia is inappropriate. Better to place man
under a new Kingdom: Homo with only one species: Homo sapiens.
Today, the consensus among evolutionists is that Neanderthals
and modern man split from a common ancestor who they place hundreds of thousands of years ago.[5] [a] Biblical creationists recognize
Noah as the common ancestor who with his wife, three sons, and their wives, eight persons in all, survived on the ark a worldwide
flood that killed all other people. From the genealogy in the Bible, the worldwide flood occurred about 4,500 years ago.
Anatomy
Differences
in Neanderthal anatomy from modern man have been attributed to adaptations to the very cold climate they lived in, testosterone known
to affect bones and muscles [b], and growth hormones. [6][7] Neanderthal brow ridges may have become enormous to absorb intermittent
chewing forces from moderate to heavy foods as their face moved forward during aging. [8]
Typical Neanderthal anatomy was as
follows:
· Distinct skulls
o “large cranial capacity, the average being as large as the average for modern
humans;
o skull shape low, broad, and elongated;
o rear of the skull rather pointed, with a bun;
o large, heavy browridges;
o low forehead;
o large,
long faces with the center of the face jutting forward;
o weak, rounded chin” [9]
o heavy mandible that lacks chin eminence [10]
o large
eye sockets [11]
o “piriform aperture (nose hole) and nasal cavity are much wider and bigger than in modern humans.”[12]
o “Neanderthal children did not have big projecting faces until they became older” [13]
· Brain size
ranged “from about 1200 _ 1750 ml, and thus on the average about 100 ml larger than modern humans.” [14]
· Strong jaws and teeth [15]
· Teeth
o same number of teeth as modern humans at age six [16]
o “front teeth were
larger than those in modern humans, but the molars and premolars were of a similar size.” [17]
· Hyoid bone is “indistinguishable from that of modern humans.” [18]
· Short and Stocky [19] with an estimated
average height and weight for adults
o males – 5 ft 5 in, 172 lbs. [c]
o females – 5ft 1 in, 146 lbs.
· Unusually massive bones with “prominent bumps, ridges and ledges” for “attachment of highly developed muscles.” [20]
· Thorax
o “Neanderthal thorax is about the same size as the human thorax, just wider at bottom.” [21]
o highly rounded ribs [22]
· Upright Posture (Bipedal)
o “sacrum – the bone that stabilizes the pelvis – is tilted in the same manner as humans.” [23]
o “Neanderthals
had a double s-shaped curve similar to humans, with one curve in the neck and the other in the lower back.” [24]
o “Neandertals,
when healthy, stood erect and walked normally as modern humans do.” [25]
Were Neanderthals and modern man the same species?
According
to the Biology Dictionary, “A species is a group of organisms that share a genetic heritage, are able to interbreed, and to create
offspring that are also fertile. Different species are separated from each other by reproductive barriers.” [26] The taxonomic binomial
classification for humans is Homo sapiens where Homo means “human being” and sapiens means “discerning, wise and sensible.” All modern humans are classified as Homo sapiens [27] although our appearances such as the shape of skulls [28], body proportions,
heights, shape of eyes, size of noses, amounts of melatonin, etc. vary. None of these differences in anatomy are relevant in the determination
of a species. In like manner, differences in appearance do not make modern humans and Neanderthals separate species. The test is whether
Neanderthals and modern man could interbreed and have fertile offspring.
Neanderthals and Homo sapiens Eurasians interbred
and had fertile offspring [29][30][31]
· “On average, Neanderthal DNA accounts for about 2% of the genetic
makeup of people in Europe while in East Asia the proportion can be as high as 4%” [32]
· “[T]oday, nearly
all non-African humans carry traces of Neanderthal DNA.” [33]
demonstrating they are of the same Homo sapiens species.
Prior to the
DNA evidence, “the strongest evidence that Neandertals were fully human and of our species is that at four sites people of Neandertal
morphology and people of modern human morphology were buried together. In all of life, few desires are stronger than the desire to
be buried with one’s own people.” [34]
Neanderthal intelligence, wisdom, and emotions
There is no evidence that Neanderthals were less
intelligent or wise than modern humans. [35] “Neanderthals were the cognitive equals of Homo Sapiens.” [36] Their cognitive abilities
were demonstrated by:
· Their mastery of making and controlling fire including the use of hearths.
· Using fire for light, protection, warmth, and cooking their food.
· One “study points to cognitive complexity
and the development of culinary cultures in which flavors were significant from a very early date.” [37]
· Engaging in making tools including those to make tools
o made lissoirs, specialized bone tools (found at two Neanderthal sites).
“This smoothing tool was used to make animal hides tougher and more impermeable.” [38]
o made sophisticated Mousterian stone
tools by flaking [39]
o tools included scrapers to clean animal hides and awls to poke holes, [40] spear points, knives, pronged harpoons,
and engraving tools [41]
· Manufacturing tar and using it as an adhesive [42][43]
o evidence points to Neanderthals
using tar to attach tools to handles
o tar handled stone tool found [44]
o grips for hand tools out of a mixture of bitumen and
ochre that would adhere to stone but not stick to hands [45]
· Making simple clothes, blankets, and ponchos[46]
· Making and using string [47][48]
· Their remains showing “evidence of medical
procedures applied to crushed limbs, fractured skulls, and tooth abscesses.” [49]
· Evidence supporting their
self-medication for pain by chewing the bark of poplar trees that contains an aspirin like chemical and using the antibiotic penicillin
for infections [50][51]
· Evidence of long-term care. “We can’t imagine [Shanidar I] being able to make much
of a contribution to his group, but he was looked after for about 10 to 15 years.” [52]
· Dentistry
o using
toothpicks [53]
o an artisan intricately carving “three sharp facets on the biting surface of” the old man’s of La Chapelle-aux one
remaining upper tooth [54]
· Deliberately burying their dead. [55][56] Burying ritual included in some cases
using flowers. [57][58], bones of animals, engraved bone, hematite powder, elephant tusk, and mountain goat horns
· Their engaging in meaningful symbolism in cave art paintings. [59] These paintings required organization in the preparation of pigments
and lighting. [60] [61]
· A small four-inch-long flute from the thigh bone of a cave bear with four precisely
bored holes on one side found in a Slovenian cave. [62]
· “[P]ainting perforated marine shells for body jewelry.”[63][64]
· Eagle talons that were probably arranged as an adornment. [65]
· Cosmetic
yellow and red pigments found in shells at Neanderthal dig sites in southern Spain. [66]
· Divided “the cave
into rooms, built wind breaks to keep the draft out, and strategically placed hearths for cooking and warmth.” [67]
· Designed wood only spears to kill at a distance. [68]
· Diet varied with the availability of different types
of food
o woolly rhinoceros and wild sheep (Belgium) [69][70]
o wooly mammoths (Belgium) [71]
o cave bears (Italy) [72]
o mushrooms, pine
nuts, and moss (Spain) [73][74]
o wild nuts, grasses, lentils, and wild mustard. (Iraq and Greece) [75]
Neanderthals had power to articulate
and hear speech.
· “Virtual 3-D models of the ear structures of Homo sapiens and Neanderthals” indicate that
Neanderthals hearing “closely mirrored that of modern humans.” [76]
· “An analysis of a Neanderthal’s hyoid
– a horseshoe-shaped structure in the neck – suggests the species had the ability to speak. This had been suspected since the 1989
discovery of a Neanderthal hyoid that looks just like modern human’s.” [77][d]
Conclusions
Neanderthals were a people group that had the same common ancestor as modern humans. They had the same unique features that separate man from animals including being intelligent and wise, having faculty of speech, being fully bipedal, and possessing human emotions. They interbred with modern man and had fertile offspring. Neanderthals were fully man, Homo sapiens. As a distinct group, they died out, but they have many modern-day descendants.
Notes:
[a] Old earth evolutionary dates are solely based on assumptions. See “Can radioactivity be used as a clock.”
[b] High testosterone
can lead to increased bone density and strength, promote bone growth, and reduce risk of fracture. [78] Testosterone “is crucial for
developing and maintaining muscle mass...” [79]
[c] The average height of Englishmen from 200-410 AD was 5 ft 5 in. [80]
[d] Kebara
II had the only hyoid bone ever found for a Neanderthal [81]
Photos:
(a) Johannes Maximilian, GFDL 1.2, via Wikimedia Commons
(b) Claire
Houck from New York City, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
(c) Muséum de Toulouse, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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[1]
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[2] Dorey, F.,
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[3] Cassella, C., “Neanderthals Had
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[7] Lubenow, M., “Neanderthals: Our Worthy Ancestors,”
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[8] Cuozzo, 216-217
[9] Lubenow, M., “Bones of Contention,” (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
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[10] Phillips, D., “Neanderthals Are Still Human!” Acts & Facts, May 1, 2000, Institute for Creation Research,
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[12] Ibid.
[13] Cuozzo, 177
[14] Phillips, D.,
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[15] “Neanderthal Anatomy”
[16] Handwerk, B., “The Teeth of Early Neanderthals May Indicate the Species’ Lineage Is Older Than Thought,” Smithsonian Magazine,
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[19] “Neanderthal
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[20] “Neanderthal 1,” Wikipedia, Viewed Internet February 10, 2025
[21] Cassella, C., “Neanderthals Had Chests That Allowed
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[22] “Neanderthal 1”
[23] Cassella,
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[24] Ibid.
[25]
Lubenow, “Bones of Contention,” 53-54
[26] “Species,” Biology Dictionary, April 28, 2017, Viewed Internet
[27] Tattersall, I., “Homo
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[29] Lubenow, “Neanderthals: Our Worthy Ancestors”
[30] Vernimmen, T., “Here’s What We Know About Neanderthals
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[32] Hunt, K., “Why do some groups of people today have more Neanderthal DNA than others? A new study offers
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[33] Valich, L., “How Neanderthal DNA influenced human survival”, University
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[34] Lubenow, “Bones of Contention,” 254
[35] “Neanderthal Tools: Materials, Glue, String
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[36] Greshko, M., “World’s Oldest Cave Art Found – And
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[37] Germain, J., “Neanderthals Cooked Surprisingly
Complex Meals,” Smithsonian Magazine, November 30, 2022, Viewed Internet
[38] “Neandertools,” Answers Magazine, January 1, 2024, Viewed
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[39] “Homo neanderthalensis,” Human Origins Program, Smithsonian Institution, Viewed Internet February 17, 2025
[40] Ibid.
[41]
“Neanderthal Tools: Materials, Glue, String and Intelligence,” Europe Facts and Details, Viewed Internet February 8, 2025
[42] Rincon,
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[43] Vernimmen
[44] Rincon, P., “Neanderthal ‘glue’ points
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[45] Williams, I., “Thought Neanderthals were stupid? Time for a rethink,” Metro, February
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[46] “Neanderthal”
[47] Oard, M., “Neanderthals becoming more modern with time,” Journal of Creation 35(1):12-14,
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[48] “Neanderthal Tools: Materials, Glue, String and Intelligence,” Europe Facts and Details, Viewed Internet
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[50] Briggs, H., “Neanderthals ‘self-medicated’ for pain”, BBC,
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[51] “What did Neanderthals eat?” Australian Academy of Science, Viewed Internet February 24, 2025
[52]
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[53] “Neanderthal
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[54] Cuozzo, 94
[55] “Special Neanderthal Update,”
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[56] “Homo neanderthalensis,” Human Origins Program, Smithsonian Institution, Viewed Internet February
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[57] Oard
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[59] Vernimmen
[60] Mahalekshmi, P., “Researchers Discover Paleolithic Cave Art Dated
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[61] “Earliest cave paintings
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[62] Phillips, D., “Neanderthals Are Still
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[63] Oard
[64] Vernimmen
[65] Ibid.
[66] “Incorrect
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[67] Sanders, L., and Carter, R., “The
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[69] Vernimmen
[70] “What did Neanderthals eat?” Australian Academy of Science, Viewed Internet February 24, 2025
[71]
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[72] Learn, J., “Neanderthals
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[73] Vernimmen
[74] “What did Neanderthals
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[75] Germain, J., “Neanderthals Cooked Surprisingly Complex
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[76] “Special Neanderthal Update,” Creation 43(3):8-9, July 2021
[77]
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[78]
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[81] Cuozzo, 253