Neanderthals continue to break stereotypes. For a long time, they were considered to be rude and stupid relatives of reasonable people, but a number of recent studies completely refute this opinion.
In fact, the Neanderthals were quite aesthetes to themselves: they created primitive decorations and tried to make their homes more comfortable.
In addition, they were versed in medicine: they used prehistoric pain relievers and antibiotics, knew about the medicinal properties of plants, and even used toothpicks.
Relatively advanced medical knowledge helped this species survive, although researchers from New York University (USA) emphasize another important point: compassion was no stranger to Neanderthals.
In their recent work, the team showed that the concept of "Leave me, commander" was unfamiliar to ancient people: they took care of the wounded, regardless of the severity of injury or illness. Moreover, according to scientists, they did not do it out of selfish motives and personal interests.
Lead author of the study, archaeologist Penny Spikins, notes that according to the remains found by various teams, many Neanderthals had pathologies, injuries and health problems during their lifetime.
Moreover, in some cases, experts concluded that illness or injury had been suffered long before death. And in order to get back on their feet, prehistoric patients needed not only treatment, but also special care - hygiene, fever reduction, health monitoring, sometimes even massage.
Scientists give a vivid example: they worked with the remains of a man who at the time of his death was between 25 and 40 years old. Experts found that during his lifetime he suffered from degenerative diseases of the spine and shoulder girdle. At least during the last year of his life, the disease clearly progressed, that is, this Neanderthal was not able to work (hunt or create tools) on an equal basis with other relatives.
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Nevertheless, he was not expelled from the tribe or "finished off": judging by the burial of the remains, he remained a full member of his community until the end of his life and died a natural death.
For many years, according to Spikins, anthropologists have focused on the medical knowledge of Neanderthals, but overlooked its social significance. The evidence that these human “cousins” knew and used drugs is worth interpreting not only in terms of ability, but also in social and cultural contexts.
“The similarity between Neanderthal medicine and later medicine is important. We argue that organized, advanced and nurturing healthcare is not unique to our species, but has a long evolutionary history,”the researcher concludes.
The team described their work in more detail in an article published in World Archeology.
Yulia Vorobyova