Prettying up Neanderthals

Neanderthals, the hominid species that briefly overlapped with early Homo sapiens some 40,000 years ago, weren't an attractive group by human standards, with the jutting jaws, massive noses, and crude features of the archetypal "caveman." But that doesn't mean they didn't try to get pretty.

In a recent discovery, archaeologists working at Neanderthal cave sites in Spain found evidence of jewelry and even makeup dating back 50,000 years, at least 10,000 years before the first humans arrived in Europe from Africa. The items included cockle and scallop shells with holes likely used for stringing; one shell was painted red, and another contained traces of complex pigments that may have been prehistoric cosmetics.

The find suggests that "Neanderthals had the same capabilities for symbolism, Part of an ancient necklace imagination, and creativity as modern humans," lead researcher Joao Zilhao tells Scientific American. Despite the stereotype of Neanderthals as brutish "half-wits," says Zilhao, recent discoveries – including the possibility that they had the power of speech-indicate they were quite intelligent.

The Week. January 29, 2010