Who were the Neanderthals?

Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) are a species of the genus Homo that lived in Europe, the Near East, the Middle East, and Central Asia during the Paleolithic period, that is, about 230,000 years ago.

Several studies confirm that this species coexisted with Homo sapiens for many years, so there were crosses between them.

Characteristics of Neanderthals:

• body adapted to the freezing cold
• short stature (1’65 meters tall) and robustness (70 kg in weight)
• great strength
• diverse diet

Data on the last Neanderthal man dates from approximately 28,000 years ago, in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. Although the reasons for their extinction are unknown, everything points to the expansion of Homo sapiens and/or a change in the climate.