Children discover Neanderthal history during educational boat tour

Children explored the history of Neanderthals during a boat tour of the Gorham’s Cave Complex as part of the Gibraltar National Museum’s series of educational summer workshops called ‘Walks Through History’.

Senior Guide Phil Smith spoke about the importance of the caves in understanding the history of the Neanderthals.

The Gorham’s Cave Complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which attracts archaeologists from abroad, offering them a chance to uncover Neanderthal history.

Mr Smith told the children that the Neanderthals occupied the caves for thousands of years, and left behind lots of evidence of their way of life.

He also told them that, despite what some people believe, Neanderthals were not stupid.

At the time humans shared the world with the Neanderthals, we had the same mental capacity but, physically, there were differences.

Neanderthals themselves are very similar to humans; both originated in Africa, but they came north before and they had to evolve because it was the ice age.

They looked different as they were a little bit shorter and stockier than humans, with more of a barrel chest, a shape that helps to keep the heat in.

Neanderthals also had a slightly larger brain than humans, and could not fully rotate their shoulders, meaning they could not use weapons such as bows and arrows to hunt.

Unlike the current landscape, the caves were surrounded by dry land due to changing sea levels over the years.

They would roam out of the caves and through plains, often integrating with groups of Neanderthals from places like Spain and France.

Whilst the men went out to hunt, the women and children would gather items such as berries and seashells.

Today’s children learnt that a range of wildlife would have lived in and around the caves, ranging from lizards to brown bears.

The Neanderthals would use bones from these animals to make tools, use their meat for food and their fur for tents during their nomadic journeys.