- PII
- S0869-54150000525-0-
- DOI
- 10.7868/S50000525-0-1
- Publication type
- Article
- Status
- Published
- Authors
- Volume/ Edition
- Volume / Issue №5
- Pages
- 44-51
- Abstract
- The Neanderthal problem in evolutionary anthropology has a nearly 150-year-long history. Questions on who were the ancestors of the Neanderthals, whether we are the descendants of them - and if not, then how our ancestors did coexist with the Neanderthals, and where the latter did go eventually - still give rise to discussions. The author argues that the Neanderthals existed as a species in the periglacial zone of Western Europe about 70000-30000 years ago. The ancestral form of the Neanderthals as a modern man was the Heidelberg man. At the time when Neanderthals and Sapiens coexisted in Western Europe, crossbreeding was hardly possible. The Neanderthals as a species and intraspecific half-breeds of the Heidelberg man must have most likely failed to endure the competition, both physical and economic, with newcomers from Africa, the Homo sapiens.
- Keywords
- Paleolithic, Neanderthals, Heidelberg man, evolution of humans, species formation, evolution tempo, taxonomy
- Date of publication
- 01.10.2010
- Year of publication
- 2010
- Number of purchasers
- 2
- Views
- 671