4 episodes

From the caves and rock shelters of Europe and the Near East, new evidence is emerging that the ancient people we now know as Neanderthals did not simply scrape by and live in a delicate balance between ape and man, but surrounded themselves with creations of art and culture that we used to think were the exclusive domain of modern humans.

Join us in conversation with the experts who are making these discoveries and revolutionizing our ideas about the world of NeanderArt.

These conversations stem from the presentations and ideas shared at the inaugural NeanderArt conference held at the University of Turin and organized by CeSMAP with the scientific partnership of the International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences (UISPP) and the International Federation of Rock Art Organizations (IFRAO).

NeanderArt NeanderArt

    • Science

From the caves and rock shelters of Europe and the Near East, new evidence is emerging that the ancient people we now know as Neanderthals did not simply scrape by and live in a delicate balance between ape and man, but surrounded themselves with creations of art and culture that we used to think were the exclusive domain of modern humans.

Join us in conversation with the experts who are making these discoveries and revolutionizing our ideas about the world of NeanderArt.

These conversations stem from the presentations and ideas shared at the inaugural NeanderArt conference held at the University of Turin and organized by CeSMAP with the scientific partnership of the International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences (UISPP) and the International Federation of Rock Art Organizations (IFRAO).

    NeanderArt: Antonio Rodriguez-Hidalgo on Lessons From Living Cultures

    NeanderArt: Antonio Rodriguez-Hidalgo on Lessons From Living Cultures

    Antonio Rodriguez-Hidalgo discusses the site of Cova Foradada in Spain, and how the ways traditional cultures in North America and Australia use animal products today can shed light on how similar artifacts may have been used by Neanderthals.

    • 8 min
    NeanderArt: Thomas Hughson On Neanderthals And Spirituality

    NeanderArt: Thomas Hughson On Neanderthals And Spirituality

    Thomas Hughson discusses what Neanderthal art tells us about the internal lives of these ancient people, and what it means for where they fit into our modern understanding of religion and spirituality.

    • 18 min
    NeanderArt: Matteo Scardovelli on the Blombos Ochre

    NeanderArt: Matteo Scardovelli on the Blombos Ochre

    Matteo Scardovelli discusses a decorated piece of ochre from Blombos Cave in South Africa, and questions whether the beginning of decorative mark making is such a significant moment in human evolution, or whether other evidence shows fundamentally "human" behavior as far back as Homo erectus.

    • 13 min
    NeanderArt: Davorka Radovcic on the Krapina Eagle Talons

    NeanderArt: Davorka Radovcic on the Krapina Eagle Talons

    Davorka Radovcic discusses the discovery that the Neanderthals who lived at Krapina in Croatia harvested eagle talons and what it means for our understanding of the artistic and cultural capabilities of these early humans.

    • 15 min

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