Madison Weaver

Submitted to Jenny Campbell

ANTH 1020: Human Origins
July 26th, 2015

Neanderthals Cognitive Equals?

Joo Zilho could possibly be considered one of the biggest Neanderthal advocates there
is. For years he has been gathering evidence to prove his hypothesis that Neanderthals were
cognitive equals to modern humans. Grotte du Renne becomes one of Zilhos favorite examples
when he is pushing his point. Sophisticated tools such as bone awls and Paleolithic baubles, all
of which were buried beneath a layer containing modern human artifacts, suggest to many that
Neanderthals were actually capable of symbolic thought.
French paleoanthropologist Jean-Jacques Hublin is not willing to give our close cousins
so much credit. Though he did admit that the human bone fragments found in the layer with the
awls and baubles was unmistakably Neanderthal, he believes that the ice-age hominins were
simply being influenced. His argument is that the Neanderthals began copying the ways of the
modern humans they ran into, but that they didnt have the cognitive ability to invent the artifacts
on their own (Appenzeller, 2013). Zilho continues to fight to prove his hypothesis despite all the
obstacles. He is striving to find complex artifacts that date back to before the modern humans
became a factor in Europe.

Of course, more information and insights will be necessary to come up with a real, solid
conclusion. Neanderthals were definitely more cognitively capable than our previous hominin
ancestors. Many sites prove this point, from confirmed burial sites to sites buried in controversy,
such as Grotte du Renne. They probably were our cognitive equals, if only in different ways.
Many anthropologists now agree that the Neanderthals definitely buried their dead, at least some
of the time (Than, 2013). This conclusion was formed through evidence from 20 or so burial
sites found throughout Western Europe, so it is a pretty well-supported one. Burial of the dead is
an example of many cultural aspects that would place the Neanderthals within our realm of
cognitive ability. Caring for others is a pretty modern concept, and the fact that the Neanderthals
chose to protect the bodies of the dead rather than leave them exposed is pretty profound. It also
shows some evidence for symbolic thought and planning ahead. Did the Neanderthals think
about life after death? Did they bury their dead to protect the body from the elements and
predators simply out of respect, or because they believed the body needed to be preserved?
Evidence has been unearthed from other sites that suggests that the Neanderthals did consider
life after death. Some sites contained tools and food along with the corpse, while others showed
evidence of flowers at the grave.
Other evidence points to cognitive ability that may have matched our own. Along with
sophisticated tools that were likely involved in making decorative objects, shells with holes near
an edge and pieces of red ochre pigment that have been worn down have been uncovered. The
shells, admittedly, had holes that were likely natural perforations, but they were definitely found
among Neanderthal remains. The ancient humans may not have thought to make the shells solely
for the purpose of decoration, but the evidence points to the inference that the Neanderthals who
obtained the shells recognized their value as ornaments, and picked them up to utilize them later.

This is still a very forward-thinking action, and it shows that they probably were able to calculate
value. The wearing on the red ochre pieces suggests that they were scraped on a rough surface.
This may be evidence of art, if perhaps that rough surface was a cave wall. Zilho even goes as
far as to suggest that the Neanderthals used the ochre for body paint. This is quite a jump and not
a very credible assumption without more evidence, but cave art is not out of the question.
I, personally, believe what Chris Springer suggests, that the difference between
Neanderthals and ourselves was a matter more of culture than of ability (Appellenzer, 2013).
The Neanderthals may not have been as innovative as modern humans, but that doesnt mean
they were less intelligent. Differences in the genome regarding genes that relate to cognitive
ability suggests a different type of intelligence, but not a lesser one. All of the evidence and
artifacts show that Neanderthals were clearly capable of abstract thought and symbolic thinking,
but they may have administered these concepts differently. It would be unfair to call the
Neanderthals our cognitive equals, because that would suggest that their brains operated the
exact same way that ours do. There were likely some fundamental differences in their cognitive
processes, so calling them equals would be inaccurate. But, that doesnt necessarily mean that
they were capable of less, cognitively speaking, than modern humans were.

Works Cited

Appenzeller, T. (2013, May 15). Neanderthal culture: Old masters. Retrieved July 11, 2015.

Homo vs Homo. (2006, April 1). Retrieved July 27, 2015, from
http://hoopermuseum.earthsci.carleton.ca/neanderthal/n-burial.html

Than, K. (2013, December 16). Neanderthal Burials Confirmed as Ancient Ritual. Retrieved July
18, 2015.