THE LAST OF THEM

The Neandertals


Neandertal bust,
sculpted by Louis Mascré between 1909 and 1914
under the scientific guidance of Aimé Rutot.
Museum of Natural Sciences, Brussels.



"Neandertal!"

Who were the Neandertals? What did they look like? How did they live? Were they so unsophisticated? Where do they stand in relation to us in the History of Humanity?

More and more of these questions are now being answered due to recent scientific advances in genetics, dating studies or micro traces which can be seen on their bones.

And the playing field for scientists is also growing: nearly 400 Neandertal fossil specimens have been discovered across Eurasia thus far: it is the human fossil population which is the best documented.