Physical culture of the Moustierian archaeological era

Abstract

Archaeologists date the Mousterian era to the historical period of 80-32 thousand years BC. It was at this time that the vast expanses of the Eurasian continent were explored by the extinct genetic branch of Homo - the Neanderthals. For a long time, the latter were considered to be the predecessors of modern homo sapiens, but new genetic data suggest that representatives of both species coexisted and shared common territories in Europe and Asia. The age of the classical Neanderthal is 80-30 thousand years BC, and the brain volume ranged from 1350-1700 cm3. This feature leaves no doubt that Neanderthals were a cognitive society, but it should not be taken to mean that they were smarter than modern humans. The intellectual potential and reflexive capabilities of Neanderthals allowed them, in this historical period, to perfectly adapt to life in the temperate climate zone, where there were cold and warm seasons throughout the year, geological and natural disasters, intra- and interspecies competition (clashes with representatives of the first people who immigrated from the African continent), etc. To have existed on planet Earth for 200,000 years, to have “written” their history, and to have left behind more questions than answers. What was the reason for the end of their evolutionary path; whether “cavemen”, as Neanderthals are sometimes called, could create stable foundations of their own civilization and culture; whether two species of Homo interbred with each other - this is not the whole list of questions that confuse the minds of modern scientists. Therefore, in this article, based on the analysis of the data of modern official science, we will try to prove that the community of classical Neanderthals, which during the Early and Middle Paleolithic created stable special aspects of its civilization: socio-political organization, economy and culture, common spiritual values and ideals, mentality (worldview) and morality. If material and non-material artifacts confirm this prognostic and theoretical idea, we can confidently state that physical culture could have originated in the bowels of the Mustier civilization.