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The first fossil humanoid to be identified as such, and the best known, named after remains found in the [[Neanderthal]] valley in western [[Germany]] in 1856. ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis'' is found throughout [[Europe]] and the [[Near East]].  Neanderthal man is associated with the Middle Paleolithic Mousterian tool tradition. <ref> Thieme, Hartmut. "Lower to Midle Paleolithic Huntin Spears, and Lithic Tool Traditions." Archaeology, 13, 2003.</ref>

The first fossil humanoid to be identified as such, and the best known, named after remains found in the [[Neander]] valley in western [[Germany]] in 1856. ''Neanderthal'' is found throughout [[Europe]] and the [[Near East]].  Neanderthal man is associated with the Middle Paleolithic Mousterian tool tradition. <ref> Thieme, Hartmut. "Lower to Midle Paleolithic Huntin Spears, and Lithic Tool Traditions." Archaeology, 13, 2003.</ref>

==Anatomy==

==Anatomy==

<ref>Odd man out: Neanderthals and modern humans <i>British Archaeology</i> [http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba51/ba51feat.html]</ref>.

<ref>Odd man out: Neanderthals and modern humans <i>British Archaeology</i> [http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba51/ba51feat.html]</ref>.

Homo neanderthalensis also had an average brainsize of 1,450 cc with a range from 1,125cc to 1,750cc.  Average modern humna brain size is 1,330cc.  Many Neanderthal fossils have been recovered showing massive amounts of wear on the teeth, which to many physical anthropologists suggests that the teeth were regularly used for gripping skins during stretching and working.   

Neanderthal also had an average brain size of 1,450 cc with a range from 1,125cc to 1,750cc.  Average modern human brain size is 1,330cc.  Many Neanderthal fossils have been recovered showing massive amounts of wear on the teeth, which to many physical anthropologists suggests that the teeth were regularly used for gripping skins during stretching and working.   

<ref>Klein, Richard. The Dawn of Human Culture. New York, John Wiley and Sons, 2002.</ref>

<ref>Klein, Richard. The Dawn of Human Culture. New York, John Wiley and Sons, 2002.</ref>

Evidence of care for the elderly and the sick has been found <ref>Neanderthals on Trial <i>University of Minnesota, Duluth</i> [http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/troufs/anth1602/video/On_Trial.html]</ref>, they also used medicinal plants, made clothes out of animal skins and used stone tools. Neanderthals performed elaborate burying rituals, suggesting some sort of religion <ref>Early Man <i>Andy Simmons</i> [http://www-staff.it.uts.edu.au/~simmonds/Sophy/early_man.htm]</ref>.

Evidence of care for the elderly and the sick has been found <ref>Neanderthals on Trial <i>University of Minnesota, Duluth</i> [http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/troufs/anth1602/video/On_Trial.html]</ref>, they also used medicinal plants, made clothes out of animal skins and used stone tools. Neanderthals performed elaborate burying rituals, suggesting some sort of religion <ref>Early Man <i>Andy Simmons</i> [http://www-staff.it.uts.edu.au/~simmonds/Sophy/early_man.htm]</ref>.

Interestingly archaeologists have never found Neanderthal cave drawings, although handcrafted art has been found <ref>Neanderthal 'face' found in Loire <i>BBC News </i>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3256228.stm]</ref>.

Interestingly archaeologists have never found Neanderthal cave drawings, although hand-crafted art has been found <ref>Neanderthal 'face' found in Loire <i>BBC News </i>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3256228.stm]</ref>.

==History according to Creationists==

==History according to Creationists==

[[Young Earth Creationism|Young Earth Creationists]] believe that Neanderthals were as fully human as we are.<ref>http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v1/n2/worthy-ancestors</ref> This is based on evidence such as:

[[Young Earth Creationism|Young Earth Creationists]] believe that Neanderthals were as fully human as we are.<ref>http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v1/n2/worthy-ancestors</ref> This is based on evidence such as:

* The brain size of neanderthalensis meets or exceeds that of humans today.

* The brain size of neanderthal meets or exceeds that of humans today.

* There is no evidence to suggest that Neanderthals could '''not''' speak like modern humans.

* There is no evidence to suggest that Neanderthals could '''not''' speak like modern humans.

* The skeletons of humans and neanderthalensis are identical in bone count and types. The size differences between the two can be seen today in humans.

* The skeletons of humans and neanderthal are identical in bone count and types. The size differences between the two can be seen today in humans.

* DNA evidence shows neanderthalensis very similar to humans.

* DNA evidence shows neanderthalvery similar to humans.

From http://www.icr.org/article/468/:

From http://www.icr.org/article/468/:

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{{cquote|

"The recent recovery of mitochondrial DNA from the right humerus of the Neanderthal remains from Neander Valley near Dusseldorf, Germany, has been of great interest to evolutionists and creationists alike (Krings et al., 1997). Based on the comparison of modern human mt DNA and that taken from the Neanderthal, evolutionists have argued that the "Neanderthal line" diverged from the line of "hominids" leading to modern humans about 600,000 years B.P. without contributing mt DNA to modern Homo sapiens populations. This strongly implies that Neanderthals were a different species from modern humans. However, the above noted interpretation is not scientifically justified. Lubenow (1998) has pointed out that the use of a statistical average of a large modern human sample (994 sequences from 1669 modern humans) compared with the mt DNA sequence from one Neanderthal is not appropriate. Furthermore, the mt DNA sequence differences among modern humans range from 1 to 24 substitutions, with an average of eight substitutions, whereas, the mt DNA sequence differences between modern man and the Neanderthal specimen range from 22 to 36 substitutions, placing Neanderthals, at worst, on the fringes of the modern range."

The recent recovery of mitochondrial DNA from the right humerus of the Neanderthal remains from Neander Valley near Dusseldorf, Germany, has been of great interest to evolutionists and creationists alike (Krings et al., 1997). Based on the comparison of modern human mt DNA and that taken from the Neanderthal, evolutionists have argued that the "Neanderthal line" diverged from the line of "hominids" leading to modern humans about 600,000 years B.P. without contributing mt DNA to modern Homo sapiens populations. This strongly implies that Neanderthals were a different species from modern humans. However, the above noted interpretation is not scientifically justified. Lubenow (1998) has pointed out that the use of a statistical average of a large modern human sample (994 sequences from 1669 modern humans) compared with the mt DNA sequence from one Neanderthal is not appropriate. Furthermore, the mt DNA sequence differences among modern humans range from 1 to 24 substitutions, with an average of eight substitutions, whereas, the mt DNA sequence differences between modern man and the Neanderthal specimen range from 22 to 36 substitutions, placing Neanderthals, at worst, on the fringes of the modern range.

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