Species of the genus Homo that inhabited much of Europe and the Mediterranean lands in the late Pleistocene Epoch , с 100,000–35,000 years ago.
The name derives from the discovery in 1856 of remains in a cave above Germany's Neander Valley. Some scholars designate the species as Homo neanderthalensis and do not consider them direct human ancestors. Others regard them as a late archaic form of Homo sapiens that was absorbed into modern human populations in some areas while simply dying out in others. Neanderthals were short, stout, and powerful. Cranial capacity equaled or surpassed that of modern humans, though their braincases were long, low, and wide. Their limbs were heavy, but they seem to have walked fully erect and had hands as capable as those of modern humans. They were cave dwellers who used fire, wielded stone tools and wooden spears to hunt animals, buried their dead, and cared for their sick or injured. They probably used language and may have practiced a primitive form of religion. See also Mousterian industry .