The success of Homo sapiens may be due to spatial abilities

While the disappearance of Neanderthals remains a mystery, paleoanthropologists have an increasing understanding of what allowed their younger cousins, Homo sapiens, to conquer the planet. According to Ariane Burke, Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the Université de Montréal, the rapid dispersal of anatomically modern humans was not so much due to superior intelligence or improved hunting or gathering techniques, but rather to the creation of symbolic objects that allowed them to extend their social relations across vast territories.

Homo sapiens arrived in Europe some 45,000 years ago, from Africa. In less than 15,000 years, they managed to occupy the whole of Europe and Eurasia—an extremely rapid expansion. Neanderthals, on the other hand, were born of Europe, appearing on the continent more than 250,000 years ago, after their ancestors, Homo ergaster, had established there 600,000 years earlier. Though physiologically well adapted to the cold climate of the glacial and postglacial periods, why were Neanderthals not as successful as their newly landed rivals in colonizing the continent?

“Neanderthals were quite capable of hunting herd animals and big game,” said the researcher. “They also knew how to feed on shellfish, plants, and nuts.”

Furthermore, they occupied diverse territories, with a variety of climates, ranging from the Iberian Peninsula to the Middle East and the Altai Mountains. Yet they never occupied the northern plains of Europe, where they would have been able to survive quite well.

Based on these facts, and considering that the territories occupied by Neanderthals were small and distant from each other, Burke speculates that the superiority of Homo sapiens was in their social organization, which developed during the Middle Paleolithic period between 200,000 and 35,000 years ago. This “modern” social organization is characterized by the maintenance of personal relations despite the absence of the persons involved, and over long distances.
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phys.org

El éxito del "Homo sapiens" se debió a sus capacidades simbólicas y espaciales
14-05-12. De acuerdo con 
Ariane Burke (izquierda), profesora del Departamento de Antropología de la Universidad de Montreal, y según un estudio publicado en Quaternary International, la rápida dispersión de los humanos anatómicamente modernos no se debió tanto a una inteligencia superior o a mejores técnicas de caza y recolección, sino más bien a la creación de objetos simbólicos que les permitieron ampliar sus relaciones sociales a través de vastos territorios... [Leer más]