The Neanderthals That Taught Us About Humanity

PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to Eons socks, shirts, pins, and more! Throughout the first half of the 20th century, Neandertals were thought to have been…primitive. Unintelligent, hunched-over cavemen, for lack of a better word. But the discoveries made in that Iraqi cave provided some of the earliest clues that Neanderthals actually behaved -- and likely thought and felt -- a lot like we do. Thanks to Fabrizio de Rossi () and Julio Lacerda () for the excellent Neandertal illustrations! Produced in collaboration with PBS Digital Studios: Super special thanks to the following Patreon patrons for helping make Eons possible: Anthony Callaghan, Jerrit Erickson, shelley floryd, Kevin Griffin, Laura Sanborn, Jack Arbuckle, David Sewall, Anton Bry