MEMES
Neanderthals
The word ‘Neanderthal’ is sometimes used as an insult. We guess the origins of the insult must come from the idea that they were ancient, primitive, and therefore uncivilised. A little unfair, because they died out around thirty thousand years ago, so never had the chance to go on to ‘develop’ as we have. Genetic evidence suggests that they were not all that closely related to us. In fact, it seems likely that they really were substantially different, because the genetics also insists that there was very little, if any, interbreeding going on.
In any event, they all died. No-one has any answer as to why this happened, but here’s a possible scenario . . . They all died because every last one of them had their skulls smashed in by us, Homo Sapiens. In other words, the more aggressive, paranoid, and manic of the two creatures won in the end.
The Neanderthals had bigger brains than we do, around 10% bigger, but
that of course necessarily mean they were more intelligent. On the
other hand,
it doesn’t mean they weren’t.
Really Magazine likes to picture them as quietly intellectual docile types who used to sit around in caves discussing the arts-and-crafts, swapping recipes for balsamic vinegar and pondering the meaning of life. Small wonder they didn’t much care to interbreed with their half-barking-mad bellicose quasi-cousins.
We won . . . didn't we ?
