The Generalization Of Neanderthals

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The common idea of Neanderthals is that they are stupid, brutish and incapable. This is such a wide generalization that in society today it would be an upmost insult to be compared to a Neanderthal(Szpir:328). Neanderthals are usually compared to men who are large, hairy and are perceived as dumb. This generalization is something that was a stereotype, one assumed to be started by early anthropologists but why? Because they were out competed by modern humans. Marcellin Boule was one of the first to portray a Neanderthal as big and brutish creature that could not possibly be related to modern humans because of the image that he created (Joaquín Rodríguez-Vidal, Francesco d'Errico, Francisco Giles Pacheco, Ruth Blasco, Jordi Rosell, Richard P. …show more content…
Because of theories such as hybridization it has brought into question who has done what and if the preconceived idea of Neanderthals is accurate. Many archaeologists have considered that the generalization of Neanderthals in fact could be wrong. As anthropologists in many different specialities consider the option of Neanderthals being right up there with evolving with humans it has struck an impeccable interest. It is now believed that Neanderthals could have been just as cognitively advanced or advancing as modern humans. Throughout my little knowledge of this subject and curiosity to have a better understanding practices like, making stone and bone tools, burying their dead, carving rocks, and having symbolic notions have all been acts of modern humans was really interesting. Reoccurring studies on Neanderthals have been slowly putting forth evidence that show symbolism and artistic value and expression is not exclusive to modern humans (Oscar Moro Abadia, Manuel R. Gonzalez …show more content…
Due to modern humans being most successful the first general idea had been that we are granted responsibility for technological and cultural advances. Much like any hypothesis it is considered correct until proven guilty. Many work toward the idea that there is more to the picture than believing that modern humans are solely at hand for cognitive advances (Zilhão:2). Since there are no concrete evidence swaying in the direction towards Neanderthal’s cognition it is an uphill battle for those in favor of proving they had advances in brain development much like modern humans because there are many that are willing to firmly fight against it. Just like Archaeologist Nicholas Conard said, if Neanderthals regularly produced art and symbolic evidence archaeologists would be uncovering this all over where Neanderthals inhabited. Conard’s statement oversimplifies the situation. In modern society today, people have daily tasks that they need to do to survive. Now days it is vastly different, but Neanderthals didn’t have all the resources we have today, they had to work hard in a very different way to survive; time for artistic and symbolic notions could have been limited and this could possibly be an explanation as to why there is miniscule evidence in favor of artistic and symbolic cognition. Although there is an overlap of Neanderthal and human existence some rock art is perceived the have
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