For a long time, there was a common misconception that Neanderthals are just primitive cavemen with intellectual faculties that weren’t as advanced as expected from the modern human’s closest relatives. However, a recent re-analysis of a 50,000-year-old Neanderthal skull showed that the extinct species actually developed a strong social support structure that allowed them to care for the elderly and disabled.

A background on the Pleistocene Epoch

During the Pleistocene Epoch, otherwise known as the Last Ice Age, large and violent groups of animals roamed the Earth, therefore making it necessary for humans to be physically strong in order to survive. A single disability proved crucial to survival given the conditions at the time. However, the remains of a Neanderthal referred to as Shanidar 1 showed that it’s possible for a Neanderthal with multiple injuries and disabilities to survive until his 40s.

When Shanidar 1 was discovered in Shanidar Cave in Iraq in 1957, an analysis of his skull indicated that he suffered an intense blow to the head when he was young, which likely caused some visual impairment. He was also missing his right hand and forearm as a result of amputation. Gizmodo reported that he also suffered from hyperostotic disease, which is linked to muscular pain and reduces mobility along the spine. A recent look at the remains also revealed that there were bony growths in his ear canal, which is suspected to have caused profound deafness.

Disability increased the need for support

Reaching 40 is quite old by Paleolithic standards, and even more so in Shanidar 1’s case. Scientists explained that the only way he could have survived that long is with the help of others in the community.

According to anthropologists Erik Trinkaus from Washington University and Sebastien Villotte of the French National Centre for Scientific Research, it would’ve been impossible for Sharindar 1 to maintain a clear canal that would enable “adequate sound transmission.” They noted that Sharindar 1 was effectively deaf in his right ear and suffered from conductive hearing loss in his left ear.

Anthropologist Erik Trinkaus studied Neandertal remains found 60 years ago in Iraqi cave, and learned this: https://t.co/SF4dWx6gCr pic.twitter.com/UTJVNa41sR — WUSTLnews (@WUSTLnews) October 23, 2017

This serious sensory deprivation in the Pleistocene era put Sharindar 1 at great risk and made him an easy prey to carnivores that surrounded him. His deafness, coupled with his other disabilities, made Sharindar 1 vulnerable and compounded his need for support. Gladly, his fellow Neanderthals were willing to help him.

“The debilities of Shanidar 1, and especially his hearing loss, thereby reinforce the basic humanity of these much maligned archaic humans,” Trinkaus said, as quoted by Newsweek.

Study changes outdated information about Neanderthals

Scientists have long believed that social support existed among Neanderthals. As a matter of fact, they practiced burying their dead, which anthropologists noted as indicative of social unity and social roles. Therefore, the fact they actually cared for others, especially the physically inept, is not inconceivable.

Moreover, Sharindar 1 isn’t the only Neanderthal found to have suffered from disabilities and believed to have received a level of support from others. In 2014, another Neanderthal was found to have suffered a similar hearing loss. Additional proof are the remains of a 5-year-old who was not rejected at birth despite having a severe brain deformity.

The new study rebuts the notion that Neanderthals are just brutes who hid in caves. This new information decreases the behavioral differences between modern humans and Neanderthals.

[Featured Image by Martin Meissner/AP Images]