Despite their capabilities, Neanderthals disappeared around 40,000 years ago. The reasons remain debated: climate instability, competition for resources, demographic pressures, and the arrival of modern humans all likely played roles. Rather than a sudden extinction, their decline appears gradual, with small, isolated populations dwindling over time. Yet their legacy endures. Fossils, artifacts, and DNA preserved in ancient bones continue to reshape our understanding of human evolution. Neanderthals are no longer viewed as primitive or inferior but as a distinct, intelligent human species whose story is deeply intertwined with our own.
Studying them not only helps us understand where we come from but also highlights the remarkable diversity that once existed within the human lineage. Understanding Neanderthal life requires piecing together clues from stone tools, cave sites, animal bones, and the rare traces they left behind. Although the archaeological record is incomplete, what we do know reveals a species far more complex than early portrayals suggested.
