A compelling book about the end of the Neanderthals is a rare treat

The Last Neanderthal
Ludovic Slimak (translated by Andrew Brown) (Polity Press (UK, 26 September; US, 24 November))

The chance discovery of a Neanderthal skeleton beneath some leaves, along with calcified soot and an array of remarkably petite arrowheads, has significantly reshaped our understanding of Neanderthals and the early migrations of our species, Homo sapiens, into Europe.

More intriguingly, these findings from Grotte Mandrin in France have provided critical insights into the initial encounters between our species and Neanderthals, shedding light on the factors leading to the latter’s extinction. This compelling narrative is explored in Ludovic Slimak’s new work, The Last Neanderthal: Understanding how humans die, which delves into these discoveries.

A pivotal figure in this tale is Thorin, a Neanderthal fossil unearthed in 2015 just outside Grotte Mandrin. The serendipitous reveal of five of Thorin’s teeth led to a meticulous excavation process, where paleontologists used tweezers to extract one grain of sand at a time over a grueling seven-year period, carefully uncovering his skull and left hand.

This discovery ignited a puzzle as various dating methods yielded conflicting timelines for Thorin’s existence. Ultimately, researchers settled on an age between 42,000 and 50,000 years, placing him among the last of the Neanderthals before the species’ total extinction around 40,000 years ago. Amazingly, genomic analysis revealed he belonged to an unknown lineage that had diverged from the main Neanderthal population over 50,000 years previously, surviving in extreme isolation.

In The Last Neanderthal, Slimak portrays a deeply personal and contemplative narrative of discovering Thorin’s existence alongside various groups that occupied the cave through millennia. The unique odor of Grotte Mandrin emanates from preserved ancient fire soot, layered within calcite formations, akin to a black-and-white “bar code.” This feature allows precise dating, indicating that H. sapiens reoccupied the cave merely six months after the Neanderthals departed.

Slimak recalls the astonishment of unveiling Thorin, emphasizing the rarity of such discoveries: “You don’t find a Neanderthal body by taking a stroll through the forest, just like that, lying on the side of the path,” he reflects. “It’s crazy.”

Analyzing Neanderthal extinction presents a myriad of theories, often attributing blame to competition from incoming H. sapiens or climatic catastrophes such as volcanic eruptions or geomagnetic reversals. Slimak, however, proposes an alternative perspective based on findings from Grotte Mandrin, particularly a layer filled with tiny, triangular stone points likely used as arrowheads by the first groups of H. sapiens arriving in the region around 55,000 years ago.

These artifacts bear a striking resemblance to those found at Ksar Akil in Lebanon, suggesting these early humans maintained effective networks, preserving their knowledge and innovations across vast distances. Slimak posits that this cultural cohesion and standardization provided H. sapiens with a substantial edge over Neanderthals, who were often isolated and lacked similar collective strategies.

Instead of a dramatic clash, Slimak suggests the decline of Neanderthal populations was a more subtle process reminiscent of historical patterns observed during Indigenous collapses across Africa, Australia, and the Americas. He asserts that it was the erosion of their worldview that contributed to their demise: “It is in the collapse of their views on the reality of the world that humans die… not with a bang but a whimper,” he concludes.

While the realities of Neanderthal existence are somber, immersing oneself in their world through The Last Neanderthal offers a rare and enlightening experience, inviting readers to reflect on the legacy of these lost peoples.