Neanderthal Skull

Neanderthal Skull. Forbes Quarry Pliestocene European hominids of the early part of the last Glaciation(110-125 MYA) Gibralter Forbes Quarry, 1848. The Neanderthal or Neandertal, was a species of the Homo genus (Homo neanderthalensis or Homo sapiens neanderthalensis)[1] that inhabited Europe and parts of western and central Asia. The first proto-Neanderthal traits appeared in Europe as early as 350,000 years ago.[2] By 130,000 years ago, complete Neanderthal characteristics had appeared and by 50,000 years ago, Neanderthals disappeared from Asia, although they did not reach extinction in Europe until 30,000 years ago. No Neanderthal skeletons of younger dating have been found, though it has been suggested that Neanderthals survived longer in Southern Iberia. Neanderthal may have coexisted with modern humans up to 15,000 years after Homo sapiens had migrated into Europe. It is believed that the population of Neanderthals was never much more than 10,000 individuals.[8]

Neanderthals had many adaptations to a cold climate, such as large braincase, short, robust builds, and rather large noses — traits selected by nature in cold climates.[citation needed] Their cranial capacity was larger than modern humans, indicating that their brains may have been larger, which may be due to their more robust build.[citation needed] On average, Neanderthal males stood about 1.65 m tall (just under 5' 5") and were heavily built with robust bone structure. Females were about 1.53 to 1.57 m tall (about 5'–5'2").[9]

The characteristic style of stone tools in the Middle Paleolithic is called the Mousterian culture, after a prominent archaeological site where the tools were first found. The Mousterian culture is typified by the wide use of the Levallois technique. Mousterian tools were often produced using soft hammer percussion, with hammers made of materials like bones, antlers, and wood, rather than hard hammer percussion, using stone hammers. Near the end of the time of the Neanderthals, they created the Châtelperronian tool style, considered more advanced than that of the Mousterian. They either invented the Châtelperronian themselves or borrowed elements from the incoming modern humans who are thought to have created the Aurignacian.