THE HISTORY OF THE PRIMATES 



thalensis, or the Neanderthal man, which was popularly regarded as "the 

 prehistoric man." The dating of the Neanderthal man was first established 

 in 1886, when two skeletons were found at Namur, Belgium, in association 

 with bones of the mammoth and the woolly rhinoceros, which were char- 

 acteristic European animals of the last ice age. Since then, a large number 

 of Neanderthal fossils, some of them quite complete, have been found in 

 localities ranging throughout the Palearctic Region. Dating of deposits 

 indicates that the Neanderthal man arose during the last interglacial pe- 

 riod and did not become extinct until about 25,000 years ago. 



A rather complete picture of the appearance of the Neanderthal man 

 can be constructed on the basis of available skeletons (Figure 69). The 

 skull was large and thick-boned. The eyebrow ridges were very prominent 

 and the forehead receding. Although the cranial capacity was greater than 

 that of modern man ( the average was about 1450 cubic centimeters ) , the 

 roof of the skull was rather flat. While the brain was large, no inferences 

 regarding its quality are possible. However, the quality of his stone tools 

 and the fact that he buried his dead indicate a high order of intelligence. 

 The eyes were large and the nose was broad. The teeth and jaws were 

 very large and heavy by modern standards, and the chin was receding. 

 The occipital condyles are not quite so far forward as in modern man. 

 It has often been said that the posture of Neanderthal man was stooped, 

 but it now appears that this was a misinterpretation based upon the study 

 of an arthritic skeleton. The spinous processes of the cervical vertebrae 

 were exceptionally large, indicating that the neck musculature was power- 

 fully developed. The standing height of the Neanderthal man could not 

 have been much in excess of five feet. The hands and feet were dispro- 



FiGimE 69. Neanderthal Family Group. ( Courtesy of the Chicago Natural History 

 Museum. Frederick Blaschke, sculptor, and Charles A. Corwin, artist. ) 



IQS 



