Neanderthals, our ancient human cousins, intrigue researchers with their complex behaviors and adaptations. Exploring the lives of their young offers unique insights into the species. Understanding how Neanderthal children grew, learned, and were cared for helps reconstruct their societal structures and daily challenges.
Physical Traits and Growth
Neanderthal infants were born in a highly altricial state, similar to modern human newborns, with much brain growth occurring after birth. They were significantly more robust than modern humans, even at birth, and developed distinctive features such as a prominent face and an elongated braincase as they grew. While Neanderthal brain size at birth was similar to modern humans, their brains grew faster in early infancy, tripling in volume by age three and reaching an adult size of approximately 1500 cm³.
The pattern of Neanderthal brain growth led to larger adult brain sizes but did not necessarily mean an earlier completion of brain growth. Although adult Neanderthals had flatter skulls than modern humans, some research suggests that Neanderthal infant skulls grew in a remarkably similar pattern to human skulls during the first two years of life. This early skull growth may suggest similar early development of brain regions associated with language and social interaction.
Insights from dental development show that Neanderthal tooth crowns grew more rapidly than modern human teeth, leading to faster dental maturation. For example, an 8-year-old juvenile Neanderthal from Scladina, Belgium, displayed dental development comparable to modern human children several years older. This suggests that Neanderthals had an accelerated pace of maturation compared to modern humans. Skeletal indicators, particularly dental records, provide precise chronologies of their growth rates and ages at death, offering data on their life histories.
Raising Young Neanderthals
Raising young Neanderthals involved significant parental care in challenging landscapes. Evidence from dental analyses suggests that Neanderthals began weaning their infants around 5 to 6 months of age, a practice similar to modern humans. This early introduction of solid food aligns with the high energy requirements for brain development in growing infants.
The acquisition of skills for survival, such as tool-making and hunting techniques, was a fundamental part of Neanderthal childhood. Neanderthals exhibited precise control over the angle at which they struck stone cores to produce tools, indicating advanced cognitive and motor skills. The sophisticated Levallois method involved preparing a stone core to remove flakes of predetermined size and shape, demonstrating planning and foresight.
Neanderthals created diverse tools, including spears and scrapers for hunting large game, which required physical strength, strategic planning, and cooperation. They also used tools for processing animal hides, butchering meat, and possibly woodworking, suggesting a structured approach to daily tasks. The complexity of skills learned indicates a period of childhood where social transmission played a significant role in their development.
Uncovering Ancient Children
Fossil discoveries of Neanderthal infant and juvenile remains provide direct evidence about their lives. The Mezmaiskaya Cave in Russia yielded a Neanderthal neonate, offering insights into brain size at birth and early growth patterns. Two infant skeletons from Dederiyeh Cave in Syria have also contributed to our understanding of Neanderthal brain growth.
The Gibraltar remains include a child’s skull found at Devil’s Tower. This skull, despite being from a child, shows the beginnings of a browridge and a large braincase, along with signs of injury and developmental defects in the teeth, which often point to periods of nutritional stress. Such details reveal the difficult conditions young Neanderthals faced.
The site of La Ferrassie has been informative, yielding the remains of eight Neanderthal individuals, including infants, children, and adults. One notable find, La Ferrassie 8, a child, was determined to have been intentionally buried. The preserved anatomical position of the bones and the deliberate placement in a dug pit suggest a complex system of ritual and care for their deceased young. These rare fossil records offer insights into Neanderthal biology, behavior, and cultural practices.