Neanderthal discoveredIn 1908, a nearly complete, buried, skeleton of a Neanderthal was discovered in a cave at La Chapelle-aux-Saints, France, by two young clergymen, brothers Amédée and Jean Bouyssonie. It was examined by Marcellin Boule, who overlooked its arthritic condition, and his published description that characterized the Neanderthal as a shuffling, bent-kneed, and hairy creature capable of "rudimentary intellectual abilities" became stereotypical. This mistake was corrected by research in the 1950s. The species had been named after the Neander Valley, Germany, where the earliest find was made in Aug 1856. Neanderthal fossils have since been found at 80 sites in Europe, the Middle East and parts of Western Asia. |
