Blaclwell Science Ld, CEOLOCY TODY, SeptemberOctcber 1997/179

Cibralar woman and Neanderhal Man

EDWARD P.I. ROSE & CHRISTOPHER B. STRINCER
Icrbes` Quarry, cn the Rcc/ cf Ctbra/tar, yte/ded a human s/u// tn 1848, cne cf the ear/test Neandertha/ s/e/eta/ rematns /ncvn tc
sctence. Iragments cf a seccnd Ctbra/tar s/u//, that cf a cht/d, vere descrtbed frcm Dezt/`s Tcver rcc/ she/ter tn 1928 and haze recent/y
been reccnstructed and retnterpreted tc emphastze the dtsttncttcn cf Homo neanderhalensis frcm H. sapiens. Neandertha/ s/e/eta/
rematns are ccnftned tc Eurcpe, the Atdd/e East and centra/ sta, thetr mcst recent cccurrence arguab/y a refugium tn scuthern
Iberta. The race seemtng/y became exttnct abcut S0 000 years Eefcre Present, fcr reascns as yet un/ncvn, but a prcgramme cf
excazattcns tn Ccrham`s and Vanguard cazes cn Ctbra/tar ts tn prcgress tc e/uctdate pa/aecenztrcnmenta/ and behaztcura/ changes
as scme cf the /ast Neandertha/s vere succeeded strattgraphtca//y by anatcmtca//y mcdern humans vtth an Upper Pa/aec/tthtc cu/ture.
N
ex year will marl he 15uh anniversary of
he discovery of he 'Cibralar Slull`
(Iig. 1), presened on 3 March 1S4S o he Ci-
bralar Scienific Sociey by is secreary, Lieu-
enan Ilin of he Royal Arillery. The slull
came from Iorbes` Quarry in he Norh Iace of
he Rocl, bu is exac provenance is uncerain
probably 'a raised beach of abou 1uu f
]3u m] above.sea level` according o Lieuen-
an A. Buron-Brown, Royal Arillery, in 1S67;
'from a brecciaed alus` according o Professor
W. A. Sollas of Oxford in 19u7; from a cave
'floored by alernae layers of salagmie and
sea-sand` according o he archaeologiss W.
H. L. Duclworh and (Sir) Arhur Keih in
1911/1912 and 1915, respecively. Irom The
rmy Ltst, Lieuenan Ilin can only have been
Edmund Henry Rene Ilin. He died on 12
]anuary 1S57 whils serving on Mauriius as a
Capain, 'of apoplexy` according o Eattery
Reccrds cf the Rcya/ rtt//ery 17161859, and de-
ailed lnowledge of he slull`s origin died wih
him.
In 1S64, he slull was sen o England o-
geher wih bones and arefacs excavaed since
1S62 by ]. Iredericl Brome, governor of he
miliary prison on Cibralar. In England, he
slull was recognized by Hugh Ialconer o rep-
resen 'a very low ype of humaniy very low
and savage, and of exreme aniquiy.` Ialconer
suggesed he name 'Hcmc zar. ca/ptcus, from
Calpe, he ancien name for he Rocl of Cibral-
ar` for he slull, which was exhibied by his
colleague Ceorge Busl a he 1S64 meeing of
he Briish Associaion for he Advancemen of
Science. Busl merely noed is similariy wih
remains from a cave in he Neander valley near
Dusseldorf in norhern Cermany, described
earlier ha year under he name Hcmc
neandertha/ensts by W. King, professor of geol-
ogy a Queen`s College (now Lniversiy Col-
lege) Calway. The Cerman remains had been
discovered in 1S56, eigh years afer he Cibral-
ar Slull. If is significance had been recognized
a he ime, we should oday be alling of Ci-
bralar Man raher han Neanderhal Man or
perhaps of Cibralar woman, as he slull is now
inerpreed as ha of a female.
Neunderthul churucteristics
Sleleal discoveries in Belgium, Croaia, Cer-
many and especially Irance were o follow, bu
even oday he Cibralar Slull is one of he
smalles of he Neanderhal slulls lnown, and
one of he few wih he base of he slull pre-
served. Since he beginning of he cenury, Ne-
anderhal sleleal remains have been excavaed
a many localiies in Europe, cenral Asia and
he Middle Eas. Even Cibralar yielded a fur-
her slull (Iig. 2), ha of a child, from Devil`s
Tower rocl sheler in he Norh Iace of he
Rocl, repored by D. A. E. Carrod and ohers
in 192S.
Fig.1. The Cibralar
Slull, found in Iorbes`
Quarry. Presened o
he Cibralar Scienific
Sociey by E.H.R. Ilin
in 1S4S; o he Royal
College of Surgeons of
England by C. Busl in
1S6S; hence o The
Naural Hisory
Museum, London, in
1955. Top: viewed
from he fron; boom:
viewed from he righ.
This small slull is
barely 13umm wide.
(Phoographs for
Iigs1, 5, 9, 1u, 11 and
12 couresy of The
Naural Hisory
Museum, London).
180! Blaclwell Science Ld, CEOLOCY TODY, SeptemberOctcber 1997
As currenly undersood, Neanderhals are
characerized by many cranial feaures which
disinguish hem from modern humans
(Iig. 3). Some are primiive characerisics
shared wih oher early humans, so appear o
have been inheried from heir Hcmc erectus an-
cesors (e.g. he long slull, flaened on op,
wih a bar of bone above he eye socles, form-
ing prominen 'brow ridges`). Oher characer-
isics are advanced, shared only by slulls
aribued o he Neanderhals (e.g. very large
noses; relaively large fron eeh, which are of-
en heavily worn compared wih hose of heir
probable ancesors; cheel bones which are
swep bacl, giving a sreamlined appearance o
he middle of he face, and cheels which are
inflaed raher han hollowed; and common oc-
currence of a mandibular foramen wih bony
lip inside he lower jaw). Moreover, in conras
o earlier and many presen-day humans, he
Neanderhals were very large-brained, he
breadh of he brain being especially developed.
In erms of he sleleon (Iig. 4), Neander-
hals differ from modern humans especially in
erms of he hip and pelvis (he upper fron par
of he Neanderhal pelvis he superior pubic
ramus being unusually long, hin, and rela-
ively flaened); in he greaer srengh of heir
bones (joins of he elbow, hip and lnee being
large, and he walls of he leg bones very hicl);
and in heir favoured posures and movemen
('squaing faces` on heir shin bones indicae
ha hey ofen squaed on heir haunches; leg,
anlle and foo bones were srongly buil, pre-
sumably o wihsand hard use).
Recen compuer-assised mehods of sudy
of he Devil`s Tower slull by Chrisoph
Zollilofer and his colleagues have shown ha
marled quaniaive differences in slull mor-
phology can be demonsraed beween Nean-
derhals and modern humans a an age of only
34 years clear differences a such an early age
considerably srenghening he inerpreaion
ha Neanderhals and modern humans are
separae species.
Fig.2. Iive fossil
fragmens from Devil`s
Tower rocl sheler,
Cibralar, form he
basis for his compuer
reconsrucion of a
Neanderhal child`s
slull. By imaging he
exising fragmens wih
compuer omography,
C. P. Zollilofer, M. S.
Ponce de Leon, R. D.
Marin & P. Sucll
(Nature, v. 375, pp.
2S35, 1995) used
hese daa o model he
remaining maerial, and
hen made a solid
version of he model by
means of
sereolihography, so
maling a non-invasive
resoraion of he enire
slull feasible and
opening up new
possibiliies for
morphomeric compari-
sons. The fragmens
were firs described by
Carrod and ohers,
}curna/ cf the Rcya/
nthrcpc/cgtca/ Instttute,
Lcndcn, v. 5S, pp. 33
113, 192S. (Repro-
duced by lind permis-
sion of Marcia Ponce
de Leon and Chrisoph
P. E.
Zollilofer,
Anhropo-
logical
Insiue,
Lniversiy
of
Zurich).
Fig.3. Comparison beween ley cranial feaures
of (op) Hcmc neandertha/ensts and (boom). H.
saptens. Adaped from Lewin, R., Human Ezc/uttcn:
an I//ustrated Intrcducttcn. 2nd edn, 19S9, Blaclwell
Scienific Publicaions, Oxford; and from Sringer
& Camble (1993). (Iigs3, 4, 6, 7 and S redrawn
by L. Blyhing, Deparmen of Ceology, Royal
Holloway, Lniversiy of London.)
Fig.4. Comparison beween ley sleleal feaures
of (lef) Hcmc neandertha/ensts and (righ) H.
saptens. Afer Sringer & Camble (1993), based on
he available reasonably complee sleleons.
Blaclwell Science Ld, CEOLOCY TODY, SeptemberOctcber 1997/181
Moreover, in ]uly 1997, scieniss worling in
Cermany and he Lnied Saes announced
ha hey had recovered miochondrial DNA
from he ype specimen of he Neanderhal spe-
cies, he Neander Valley specimen found in
1S56. Is DNA paern was quie disinc from
hose of all recen humans so far sampled, indi-
caing ha he Neanderhal lineage probably
began o spli from ours abou 6uu uuu years
ago.
Mousteriun culture
Neanderhals are associaed wih Middle
Palaeolihic sone ools wih reouched
(modified) ools such as scrapers, rarely wih
he large bi-facially worled implemens ('hand
axes`) ypical of he Lower Palaeolihic. More
precisely, hey are associaed wih one paricu-
lar sone indusry, he Mouserian, characer-
ized by flale ools using he prepared core
echnique (Iig. 5). The Mouserian, named af-
er he Irench sie of Le Mousier, was he Eu-
ropean and wesern Asian form of he more
general Middle Palaeolihic. This lased from
over 2uu uuu o abou 3u uuu years Before
Presen, spanning he ime before he las iner-
glacial and he various climaic phases of he
early las glacial.
Mouserian ools are associaed wih one of
he oldes lnown well-buil hearhs, a Vilas
Ruivas in Porugal, a sie daed o abou
6u uuu years ago. Thicl ash deposis, burn
bone and charcoal are lnown from older
'camp` and cave sies, so Neanderhals clearly
developed a conrolled use of fire. Iifeen
hearhs discovered a Capellades near Barce-
lona in norhern Spain have recenly been iner-
preed as veriable furnaces, daing bacl o
abou 53 uuu years BP. Neanderhals also
huned and, from cu marls on heir bones,
buchered, a variey of animals for food (e.g.
red deer and wild goa (ibex) in souhern Eu-
rope and reindeer and horse furher norh).
Middle Palaeolihic burials have been re-
pored from Europe, he Middle Eas and cen-
ral Asia. However, none comes from open
sies, and i has been claimed ha hey merely
represen finds of complee or nearly complee
sleleons raher han rue burials. Claims ha
sone ools or joins of mea were placed as
grave goods have proved conroversial, as has
he inference from pollen grains in sedimens
surrounding a body in Iraq ha garlands of
flowers were srewn across he corpse. Never-
heless, alhough he exen o which burial was
pracised prior o he Lpper Palaeolihic is
much debaed, i seems lilely ha boh Nean-
derhals and early modern humans buried heir
dead.
Similar cauion has o be exercised over he
claims for ar and riual objecs daing from he
Middle Palaeolihic. Such iems include a di-
verse collecion of scrached and polished
bones, as well as pierced objecs. Bu well-
crafed bone, anler and ivory arefacs, jewel-
lery, ornamens and ar in he form of figurines
and engravings only definiely appear in Eu-
rope wih he ools made on long slender blades
characerisic of he Aurignacian and
Craveian culures of he Lpper Palaeolihic,
and herefore he arrival of anaomically mod-
ern humans. However, here are enigmaic ex-
amples from Chelperronian and Lluzzian
sies in Irance and Ialy, respecively, which
sugges ha he las Neanderhals were also ex-
hibiing some of his echnology, eiher hrough
parallel developmen or conac wih he new-
comers.
Neunderthul distribution
Neanderhal sies as currenly lnown exend
hrough Europe o he Middle Eas and cenral
Asia (Iig. 6). This region lay immediaely
souh of he glaciers ha ofen covered norh-
ern Europe in middle-lae Pleisocene imes,
and some disincive feaures of he Neander-
hal body have been inerpreed in erms of
cold-climae adapaions. The socly physique
(wih low surface:volume raio, reducing hea
loss) compares wih ha of he Eslimos of he
Arcic coas of Norh America, Creenland and
easern Siberia. The large noses may have
served o warm and humidify he cold, dry air
inhaled in heir Ice Age environmen. Slin and
Fig. 5. Arefacs ypical
of he Mouserian
culure associaed wih
Neanderhals, from
Corham`s Cave,
Cibralar. Scale a base
of phoo in mm.
182! Blaclwell Science Ld, CEOLOCY TODY, SeptemberOctcber 1997
eye colourings are, of course, unlnown, bu in
condiions of low sunligh he Neanderhals
may have had pale complexions.
The 'cenres` of he Neanderhal world, as
defined by coninuiy in selemen and fossil
maerial, appear o be a he edges of he disri-
buion of sleleal evidence in wesern Europe
and he Middle Eas. Bu here is a very differ-
en hisory in hese wo regions. In he wes,
classic Neanderhals emerged and were appar-
enly he sole human occupans for mos of
Middle Palaeolihic ime. In he eas, Neander-
hals coexised or overlapped wih anaomically
modern-looling populaions, boh maling
similar Middle Palaeolihic sone ools.
Many of he feaures ha characerize he
Neanderhal face, slull bones and lower jaw
had appeared by he end of he Middle Pleiso-
cene, 13u uuu years ago. Iossils from Croaia,
Ialy and Irance are of ha age. Earlier fossils
are more conroversial in heir inerpreaion,
bu may exend he record of early Neanderhal
feaures in Europe bacl o a leas 3uu uuu
years BP. Lnil recenly, he las Neanderhals
had been daed o abou 35 uuu years BP, bu
sudies on cave deposis a Zafarraya in souh-
ern Spain, abou 12u lm from Cibralar, have
now indicaed ha Neanderhals may have sur-
vived here o less han 3u uuu years BP. Souh-
ern Spain and he Rocl of Cibralar may have
been he las refuges of he Neanderhal race.
Hunun relutionships
Neanderhals are hus a disinc group in erms
of heir sleleal characerisics, Mouserian cul-
ure, and largely European disribuion. Wha
is heir relaionship o modern humans, o
Hcmc saptens?
One inerpreaion (Iig. 7 op) is ha hey
represen he ancesors of modern Europeans.
According o his 'Muliregional Model` of hu-
man origins, during he las 1 million years
here was only one species, Hcmc saptens, and
differen regional lineages inerchanged genes
and evolved in similar ways owards modern-
looling humans.
Anoher inerpreaion (Iig. 7, boom) is
ha all modern humans have a relaively recen
(abou 15u uuu-year-old) African ancesry,
and ha Hcmc saptens represens a quie separae
evoluionary lineage o Hcmc neandertha/ensts
now exinc. Increasingly, evidence from
presen-day human geneics and he fossil
record seems o suppor his 'Ou-of-Africa
Model` for human origins. The common ances-
or of he wo species may well be represened
by Hcmc hetde/bergensts (Iig. S), defined by
some scieniss o accommodae early, primi-
ive sleleal remains linling rue Neanderhals
and 'sapiens` wih even earlier Hcmc erectus.
Such remains include a legbone (ibia) and
eeh abou 5uu uuu years old excavaed a
Boxgrove in Sussex in 1993 and 1995, respec-
ively. I was widely believed ha such records
were among he oldes human remains in Eu-
rope, bu eeh and fragmenary bones from
norhern Spain have recenly been described in
he journal Sctence as a new species, Hcmc
Fig. 6. Disribuion of
Neanderhal sies in
Europe, he Middle
Eas and cenral Asia.
Afer Sringer &
Camble (1993).
Fig. 7. (below righ)
Poenial Neanderhal
relaionships as
commonly debaed.
Top: Muliregional
Model; boom: Ou-
of-Africa Model. Afer
Sringer & Camble
(1993).
Fig. 8. (far righ) A
simple represenaion
of human evoluion and
dispersal over he las
1.5 million years. Some
scieniss classify he
earlies African Hcmc
erectus as a more
primiive species called
Hcmc ergaster ('Worl
Man`). Muli-
regionaliss would no
recognize he
evoluionary lineages
and species as disinc
all could be regarded as
represening one
inerlinled species,
Hcmc saptens. Afer
Sringer & McKie
(1996).
Blaclwell Science Ld, CEOLOCY TODY, SeptemberOctcber 1997/183
antecesscr, and daed even furher bacl, o
abou Suu uuu years BP.
Neunderthul extinction
So wha happened o he Neanderhals? Do
hey disappear from he fossil record because
hey evolved or were geneically absorbed ino
modern humans (pseudoexincion), or be-
cause hey died ou, leaving no descendans
(rue exincion)? If hey died ou, how and why
did his occur? Such quesions have been and
are being holy debaed, wih recen explana-
ions for a rue exincion including deeriora-
ing climae and resources, an expanding and
behaviourally more efficien immigran popula-
ion of modern humans, and he fragmenaion
of Neanderhal sociey under he srain. On his
scenario, Neanderhals expired quiely, pushed
o he geographical margins and unable o resis
dramaic climaic changes, famine, disease or
economic compeiion.
To conribue facual daa o he debae, a
programme of new excavaions is in progress on
Cibralar, in Corham`s and Vanguard caves
(Iig. 9) wihin he Minisry of Defence esae
on he eas coas of he Rocl. Cibralar lies
wihin he region of souhern Iberia ha seem-
ingly comprised he refugtum for he las-lnown
Neanderhals. Moreover, Corham`s Cave
(Iig. 1u), firs professionally excavaed by ].
d`A. Waecher in he 195us, is believed o be
excepional in conaining evidence for succes-
sive occupaion firs by Neanderhals, hen by
lae Pleisocene humans. The hicl sequence of
cave sedimens incorporaes Middle and Lpper
Palaeolihic sone arefacs, large and small
mammal remains, abundan bird bones,
coprolies (fossil excremen), and marine and
erresrial mollusc shells, as well as charcoal
and plan ash which are occasionally concen-
raed in a manner which suggess ha hey are
he remains of hearhs or food processing areas.
Preliminary resuls indicae ha a similar bu
possibly even beer-preserved sequence may
be demonsraed in he adjacen Vanguard
Cave (Iig. 11). Excavaions reveal ha boh
caves were iniially occupied (Iig. 12) by peo-
ple who used locally available pebbles and cob-
bles o male a range of 'Mouserian` sone ools
which elsewhere on he Rocl (a Devil`s
Tower) are associaed wih Neanderhal slel-
eal remains. The presence of anaomically
modern huner-gaherers during he laer Pleis-
ocene is aesed o by he presence higher in
he Corham`s cave sequence of boh large and
small sone blade indusries based parially on
impored flin. Burn animal bones exhibiing
buchery marls have been found in associaion
wih he sone ools in pars of he succession.
Sudies by an inernaional eam of specialiss
direced by one of us (CBS), in associaion wih
The Cibralar Museum, are currenly in
progress o elucidae he hisory of cave
Fig. 9. (far lef) Irom
boom lef, Benne`s,
Corham`s and
Vanguard caves
adjacen o Covernor`s
Beach on he souh-eas
coas of Cibralar.
Buildings a higher
levels indicae scale.
Fig. 10. (lef)
Corham`s Cave,
Cibralar. Iirs
professionally
excavaed by ]. d`A.
Waecher in 1951, and
currenly being re-
excavaed under he
join direcion of C.B.
Sringer and ].C.
Iinlayson, his cave
conains evidence of
occupancy by
Neanderhals,
succeeded by he Lae
Palaeolihic culure
characerisic of
anaomically modern
humans.
184! Blaclwell Science Ld, CEOLOCY TODY, SeptemberOctcber 1997
occupancy, and high-resoluion palaeoenviron-
menal changes represened by cave sedimens
and heir fossil bioa. The sory of Cibralar
woman is no ye a an end.
Fostscript
A symposium on 'Cibralar during he Quaer-
nary` in 1994 generaed a summary review
(Rodriguez Vidal, ]., Diaz del Olmo, I.,
Iinlayson, C. & Ciles Pacheco, I. EQU
Acncgraftas, Seville, v. 2, 15u pp.) and a Ci-
bralar Museum monograph (currenly, in
press). To celebrae he 15uh anniversary of
he discovery of he Cibralar Slull, an inerna-
ional symposium 'Cibralar and he Neander-
hals 1S4S199S` will be held on he Rocl in
Augus 199S (deails from he Direcor, Ci-
bralar Museum, 1S2u Bomb House Lane,
Cibralar, or a hp://www.gibralar.gi/
neanderhals).
Suggestions Ior Iurther reuding
(for Cibralar geology, see Cec/cgy Tcday, v. 7,
pp. 951u1, 1991, and v. S, pp. 929S,
1992).
Core, R. 1996. Neanderhals, Nattcna/ Cec-
graphtc, v. 1S9, pp. 235.
Rose, E.P.I. & Rosenbaum, M.S. 1991.
Ite/d Cutde tc the Cec/cgy cf Ctbra/tar. The
Cibralar Museum, Cibralar. 192 pp.
Sringer, C.]B.] & Camble, C., 1993. In Search
cf the Neandertha/s. Thames & Hudson, Lon-
don. 247 pp.
Sringer, C.]B.] & McKie, R. 1996. frtcan
Excdus. ]onahan Cape, London. 267 pp.
Edvard P.I. Rcse ts a Sentcr Lecturer tn Cec/-
cgy ;pa/aecntc/cgy!strattgraphy) at Rcya/
Hc//cvay, Untzerstty cf Lcndcn. Chrtstcpher E.
Strtnger ts a Aertt Researcher tn the Human
Ortgtns Crcup at the Department cf Pa/aecntc/-
cgy, The Natura/ Htstcry Auseum, Lcndcn, and
a Vtstttng Prcfesscr tn the Department cf Cecgra-
phy at Rcya/ Hc//cvay.
Fig. 11. Vanguard
Cave, Cibralar.
Previously unsudied,
excavaions begun in
1996 are revealing
hearhs and oher
evidence of early
human occupancy.
Fig. 12.
Reconsrucion by he
lae Maurice Wilson of
a Neanderhal family
group ouside
Corham`s and
Vanguard caves,
Cibralar, during he
las glaciaion a ime
of marine lowsand.
Bones are abundan in
he cave sedimens,
including hose of boh
small and large
mammals (especially
he wild goa Capra
tbex, whose slull is
illusraed), and a
diverse bird fauna
including he exinc
Crea Aul (Ptngutnts
tmpennts, also
illusraed). While he
physique is probably
accurae, slin and hair
form are enirely
conjecural.