🧐 Ancient Beat #34: Dolmens, Neanderthal communities, and 1,000-mile social networks
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A DNA study of 11 Neanderthals found in Chagyrskaya Cave in Siberia is offering a snapshot into their family life. They identified a father, his teenage daughter, a man related to the father, and two second-degree relatives (possibly an aunt and her nephew). Two other Neanderthals found nearby in another cave are not part of the same family. The research supports the theory that Neanderthals lived in small groups of about 20 people. And it shows that they may have practiced patrilocality, or female exogamy, where males stay and (some) females leave to join other families, as at least 60% of females were from other communities. There also seems to have been some inbreeding. But it’s important to note that the fossils analyzed in this study are from late in the timeline of Neanderthals, so these findings may only relate to a specific culture living at a time close to their extinction. Indeed, a few years back, a paper found that they lived in larger groups.
🧐 Ancient Beat #34: Dolmens, Neanderthal communities, and 1,000-mile social networks
🧐 Ancient Beat #34: Dolmens, Neanderthal…
🧐 Ancient Beat #34: Dolmens, Neanderthal communities, and 1,000-mile social networks
A DNA study of 11 Neanderthals found in Chagyrskaya Cave in Siberia is offering a snapshot into their family life. They identified a father, his teenage daughter, a man related to the father, and two second-degree relatives (possibly an aunt and her nephew). Two other Neanderthals found nearby in another cave are not part of the same family. The research supports the theory that Neanderthals lived in small groups of about 20 people. And it shows that they may have practiced patrilocality, or female exogamy, where males stay and (some) females leave to join other families, as at least 60% of females were from other communities. There also seems to have been some inbreeding. But it’s important to note that the fossils analyzed in this study are from late in the timeline of Neanderthals, so these findings may only relate to a specific culture living at a time close to their extinction. Indeed, a few years back, a paper found that they lived in larger groups.