Neanderthals in Gorham's Cave, and a Collage for LMAC #84
Before I wrote this blog, I had never heard of Gorham's cave. However, one part of @shaka's beautiful template photo evoked the image of a cave for me.
The Template Photo by @shaka
I did a little research on Neanderthal cave dwelling. That's when I came across an article about Gorham's Cave in Gibralter.
Gorham's Cave on the East Face of the Rock of Gibralter
Image credit:© Gibmetal77 / Wikimedia Commons. Used under CC 3.0 license.
Evidence in the Gorham cave complex indicates that Neanderthals lived there for about 100,000 years. Their habitation of the cave overlapped with that of early humans.
View From Gorham's Cave
Image credit: John Cummings. Used under CC 3.0 license
It is believed that Neanderthals were eventually killed off by Homo sapiens as these human hominids migrated from Africa.
Neanderthal Engraving, Gorham's Cave
Image credit:AquilaGib (Stewart Finlayson, Gibraltar Museum) Used under CC 4.0 license
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Some sources suggest that Homo sapiens also killed off another hominid species, Homo erectus. However, this theory is controversial. According to an article in Inside Science, it was climate change, and not humans that brought about the demise of Homo erectus.
Homo Erectus
Image credit: Henry Gilbert and Kathy Schick. Used under CC 3.0 license. The caption under this picture reads: "This restoration is based on evidence from the Daka Member, Ethiopia... The squatting posture is based on femoral anteversion frequent in Homo erectus... The cranial shape is based on BOU-VP-2-66, the Daka Calvaria".
It is believed that Neanderthals became extinct 35,000 to 50,000 years ago. However, they did not disappear without a trace. It seems there was intermingling between hominid species. This may have occurred as early as 100,000 years ago. Today, the fruit of the intermingling may be found in descendants of early humans/Neanderthals. It is estimated that all non-African humans have between 1%-4% Neanderthal DNA.
Artist's Impression of Neanderthals in a Cave
Image credit: Charles R. Knight. Public domain.
Lifestyle
According to an article in New Scientist, the sea provided a large part of the diet for coast-dwelling Neanderthals. The diet was different for those who dwelt further inland.
Those Neanderthals ate a variety of meats, including mammoth. Some sources suggest that hominids hunted the mammoth out of existence. However, recent research at the University of California points to a combination of factors: hunting and climate change played a role, as did reduction in food and fresh water sources.
Though hominids hunted mammoths, mammoths did not hunt them. Mammoths were vegetarians.
Woolly Mammoth Reconstruction
Image credit: Thomas Quine. Used under CC 2.0 license.
Some other species that preyed upon mammoths were saber toothed cats, the American lion, and the short-faced bear. According to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Library, adult mammoths were not vulnerable to attacks by hunters, but young mammoths were.
According to some researchers, Homo sapiens were more effective hunters than Neanderthals because of the assistance of dogs. These early dogs were said to be bred from wolves.
Early Humans, With Dogs After a Successful Hunt
Image credit: Museum of Natural History Guide, 1901. Public domain
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It has even been suggested that dogs helped to give Homo sapiens an advantage in their competition with Neanderthals.
My Collage
I became fascinated with Gorham's Cave. Although my collage shows a dog, that dog would apparently not have been part of the Neanderthal group. Perhaps it belonged to a human who was lurking nearby :)
I began my cave image by extracting the stone formation in the lower right hand corner of @shaka's blog. I place that on a distant shore.
I had to find a background that seemed appropriate for mammoths. I added water (from @shaka's picture) to the foreground. Also added water from @shaka's picture behind the 'cave' to give the scene what seemed to me a more prehistoric look. After that, it was a matter of finding the people. I edited and positioned them. Then the mammoths. Then the saber-toothed cats and the dog. A little more editing to clarify the images and integrate them into the scene.
An intermediate step:
Elements in the collage:
Neanderthal figures:Charles R. Knight public Domain
Background Pixabay duongvan03021608
Dog Museum of Natural History pamphlet
Mammoth Pixabay tony 241969
Saber tooth tiger Popular Science 1898
Mammoth accent Pixabay open clip art vectors
Another interesting experience. Thank you, @shaka, for insuring the continued success of this amazing community. Anyone who wants to join, there is only one requirement: have fun. You can learn techniques at LMAC school. @quantumg, our teacher, just posted a new 'lesson'. And he answers questions! We have a Discord channel. Rules for the community may be found on @shaka's blog.
That's it! Everybody, stay safe, be well and enjoy life!
Hive on!
What an update and to me this is one of the very best article on in this community
Thank you very much! I had great fun writing this blog. Usually, on Thursdays we have a new collage. I see you are new to Hive. This community is a good way to network, and have fun. No art skills required :)
Wonderful article on these distant relatives of ours. I love ancient history. I'd like to recommend a small correction. It appears that the "1-4%" refers to the proportion of Neanderthal DNA found in non-African populations, not the amount of people who have it. I believe that all non-Africans have a small amount of Neanderthal DNA. My genome has ~2%. Yes, I'm a 2 percenter :)
Thank you very much! I read the citation wrong. I just looked it up in a number of sources, and apparently that figure varies by region. Fascinating.
I appreciate the correction and your generous assessment of my blog.
Wow! I'm a Neanderthal. That is an exciting discovery. Talk about tracing family trees :))
Buen trabajo como siempre, excelente información nos traes hoy, no sabía ese dato de que los mamuts eran vegetarianos!
Thank you, @kismeri. You are so kind. I love reading about prehistory and it was fun creating a scene about those early times.
Such big animals, and they didn't eat meat!
Plain and simple, a wonderful post with a fantastic photo collage! 😎
Thank you my art friend. Your opinion means a lot to me.
Hello good job with your collage and very interesting post content excellent .
I think my love of history and museums influenced me. I got lost in recreating the past. Not really art, but accuracy. Still fun.
Thank you for your kind comments.
Hello friend, interesting report of the Neanderthals from sde many years ago, it was like a struggle for survival between man and Neanderthals. Excellent collage.
Thank you my friend, @cetb2008. It was fun making this collage. I paid attention to the reports I read and tried to get it right. Glad you like it.
What a great collage A.G.🌸 You have depicted a wonderful man and beast scene right out of the past.
I love reading about the ancient history of the Neanderthals and Mammoths.
Thank you my friend, @redheadpei. I enjoyed making that very much. Had to make sure the cats were the right color, and posed properly :) It was as though I was making diorama for a museum. I know realism isn't art, but it is fun sometimes.
Hope the summer weather is treating you well.
Most welcome A.G. @agmoore. Your attention to the detail is spot on.
This morning the sun is starting to shine. We had a few rainy nights but that is all good for the farmers as they never seem to have enough water for the crops.
Wishing you a wonderful day my friend. 🌸
Excellent finished collage and wonderful detailed information in your post! Good luck in the contest!
Thank you very much for reading and for your kind words.
I don't participate in the contest anymore. I just make the collages. I appreciate your good wishes, though :)
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