- The Neandertal Museum
The Neandertaler inhabited Europe before and during the last Ice Age. His Constitution was better adapted to withstanding lord and w™ Coming of the present climate and the receding of the Ice Sheets, he was gradually 'replaced' by the European that we know'^^^^ There are, however, still descendants of the Neandertaler on earth. They inhabit the colder parts of Asia, and are predominant in Mongolia, Siberia, Northern China and Japan.
The Neandertaler was much shorter and stockier than the average European to-day. He had a very low starting forehead and a square-cut sort of chin, together with a very small stunted nose. His lungs and chest were well developed, and his hands and feet were much broader than those of a European today.
On the conducted tour of the Museum we also saw reconstructed pictures of the Neandertalers mode of life. He dwelt often in caves and that is why many of the remains that have been discovered have been embedded in rock. Although he had fire and had learnt to make crude weapons. such as arrows and spears (as suggested by the small piece of shaped flint found in the vicinity) and also had small tools such as scrapers and could cut things with these, it seems highly unlikely that the Neandertaler could make clothes to any degree.
The Neandertal Museum / Words
to inhabit bewohnen
Ice Age Eiszeit
the Constitution die Körperbeschaffenheit
to adapt anpassen
to withstand widerstehen, aushalten
to recede s. zurückziehen
Ice Sheet Eisdecke
to replace ersetzen
the descendant der Nachkomme
predominant vorherrschend
stocky untersetzt
the average der Durchschnitt
low starting niedrig beginnend
the forehead die Stirn
square-cut vierkantig
chin Kinn
stunted verkümmert
the chest die Brust
the conducted tour der Rundgang, Führung
reconstructed wiederhergestellt, rekonstruiert
mode of life Lebensart
to dwell wohnen, leben
the cave die Höhle
the remains die Überbleibsel
to embed einbetten, umhüllen
the rock der Fels
crude roh, ungeschliffen
the weapon die Waffe
the arrow der Bogen
spear der Speer
to suggest vorschlagen, andeuten
shaped geformt, gestaltet
the flint der Feuerstein
the vicinity die Nachbarschaft
the tool das Werkzeug
the scraper Kratzeisen, das Schabeisen
to cut schneiden
highly unlikely höchst unwahrscheinlich
clothes Kleider
to any degree überhaupt
Questions
1. When did the Neandertaler live?
2. By what was he replaced?
3. What do we call the replacement of one type by another?
4. Where do descendants of the Neandertaler live today?
5. How tall was the Neandertaler?
6. What were his hands and feet like?
7. Where did he live?
8. What skills did he have?
9. How do we know that he had arrows and spears?
10. Did he make clothes?
Discussion and essay topics
1. Would you like to have lived in the days of the Neandertaler?
2. Have modern comforts made people happy?
Neandertal Museum / Notes
1. Neandertal zwischen Düsseldorf und Elberfeld. In der Neandertalhöhle fand man 1856 Schädelreste der Neandertaler (Urmenschen). In späterer Zeit fand man die Neandertaler in West- und Mitteleuropa.
2. Eiszeitalter (diluvium): Vorhandensein von großen Eisflächen und Gletschern über dem größten Teil von England und dem Nordwesten von Europa.
