Neanderthals not as stupid as they looked
Well stone me, Neanderthals were not the primative, ape-like creatures we think of and actually invented tools as good as Homo sapiens, it has been claimed.
It had been thought the cavemen died out because humans developed better tools and weapons, allowing them to hunt for food easier.
But now experts say Neanderthals - who died out 28,000 years ago - had stone tool technologies which were just as good, if not better than humans.
A team from the University of Exeter spent three years recreating stone tools known as used by both Homo sapiens and Neanderthals.
It was expected that the Homo sapien tools would be better but tests showed their 'blades' were on a par with Neanderthal 'flakes' raising the question as to why Neanderthals became extinct.
Archaeologist Metin Eren,said: "Our research disputes a major pillar holding up the long-held assumption that Homo sapiens were more advanced than Neanderthals.
"It is time for archaeologists to start searching for other reasons why Neanderthals became extinct while our ancestors survived.
"Technologically speaking, there is no clear advantage of one tool over the other. When we think of Neanderthals, we need to stop thinking in terms of 'stupid' or 'less advanced' and more in terms of 'different.'"
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