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Neanderthals in Britain?

• Message 1. 

  Posted by FABFiona (U14207626) on Tuesday, 1st June 2010

  I was wondering what the actual evidence was for neanderthals living on the soon-to-be island of Britain.
  
  I know that the skull found in Swanscombe is inconclusive because it bears so much more resemblance to Homo heidelbergis ie tall, larger inner skull capacity, thicker bones. The skull fragments found in Doggerland seem to be pretty conclusively Neanderthal, but I'm wondering more about what's been found above water?
  
  Is there other skeletal evidence, or are the theories based entirely on the interpretation of flint tool technology?
  
  Thanks
  
  Fiona

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• Message 2

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  This posting has been hidden during moderation because it broke the in some way.

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  Posted by somewhatsilly (U14315357) on Wednesday, 2nd June 2010

  
  
  This might interest you!
  
  
  ferval

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  Posted by somewhatsilly (U14315357) on Wednesday, 2nd June 2010

  This is a rather fuller account and discussion
  
  

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• Message 5

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  Posted by englishvote (U5473482) on Wednesday, 2nd June 2010

  Hi Fiona
  
  An interesting question but not one that I can help with I’m afraid, hopefully someone with much greater knowledge will provide more background to this fascinating part of our history.
  
  You have probably already seen this page on the Ö÷²¥´óÐã science and nature section, it is the very last paragraph that give a limited answer to your question.
  
  
  

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  Posted by FABFiona (U14207626) on Wednesday, 2nd June 2010

  Many thanks for the links all.
  
  The Ö÷²¥´óÐã discussion links seems to be about dating, rather than about why they think these tools are neanderthal or heidelbergensis or sapiens.
  
  Does anyone know why they are assuming neanderthal, rather than any other human species? Given that skeletal finds in Britain tend towards heidelbergensis or sapiens, why assume neanderthal?
  
  Fiona

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  Posted by henvell (U1781664) on Wednesday, 2nd June 2010

  P Harding [2009]reported that 28 hand axes,flint flakes and fauna fragments were dredged from about 25m of water off the coast of Yarmouth,England.He estimated that these artifacts were over 100Ka old.
  This is broadly coeval with the discovery of at Dartford,Kent,which has been tentatively dated by the OSL method to ca 100Ka,when the Neanderthals are deemed to have been the only occupants of western Europe.

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  Posted by Triceratops (U3420301) on Sunday, 6th June 2010

  Fiona,
  
  This is an article about proto-neanderthals,c 230,000 years ago, in North Wales;
  
  

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  Posted by Locusta (U14468320) on Monday, 7th June 2010

  Back in the 1980's (I think) I came across a book suggesting Neanderthals amy have survived even into the Middle Ages in remote parts of Europe (Michael Crichton's book, "eaters of the dead" on which the film "the 13th Warrior " was based,makes use of this idea.)
  Now there are many legends of faries, elves, brownies etc,in Britian-especially in some of the remoter parts.Could a remmnent of neanderthals have survived in the remote parts of the British Isles,far later than we imagine? Could these stories be some kind of folk memory of such people?
  

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  Posted by BHsearcher (U14860623) on Thursday, 27th October 2011

  Thats an extremely interesting theory on Neanderthals surviving into the middle ages.
  I havent been able to find any kind of professional opinion or research on this theory, so does anyone more informed than me have any suggestions or theories on this subject as I for one would love to hear more!

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