Prometheus_ash
Metaphysical Bet Taker
Athene said:I heard that the Neaderthal died out because our ancestors hunted them and ate them, is that true?
According to my archological teacher (who has a Phd in Physical anthropology), there is no direct empirical evidence to suggest that humans and Neadethals had direct contact with one another. Some site showed that humans and Neaderthals shared similar territories, but there are hundreds of years sepperating the layers. We do know from the fossil record that the Neaderthals had a less successful birth rate than humans, and that even if they did have contact with humans they never picked up some of our better hunting technices involving ranged weapons and the like.
It is most likely that the less successful birth rate (as little as 2% would make a big difference over long period of time), coupled with compitition, and a changing environment is what eventually did them in. It's possible we will never know exactly what did them in, and it is important to know that experts within the field still argue over some of the specifics.
If you are interested in a good book about human history (from an physical anthropological perspective) you might check out Mapping Human History: Genes, Race, and our Common Origins by Steve Olson.
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