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What do Neanderthal bodies tell us about them? From the basic structure of the bones, we know that they were extremely strong. From the extensive level of injuries found on the bones and the relatively young estimated ages at death for Neanderthals (few Neanderthal skeletons belonged to individuals who lived past the age of forty), we can surmise that life was hard for them. They probably fought animals at close range as part of the strategy of ambush hunting that developed back in Homo heidelbergensis times. And, indeed, it is likely that they fought each other, as all human groups do, except that they had an enhanced ability to inflict lasting damage.
Like us, they were mostly right-handed, and their arm bones show that their right arm muscles were stronger than their left arm muscles. But unlike us, their right arms were very much stronger than their left arms, a difference rarely seen today except among professional tennis players. It is likely that Neanderthals performed repetitive activities such as scraping hides for clothing, leading to a pronounced asymmetry in their body strength. It is possible that clothes-making through scraping was a significant burden on the Neanderthals’ time. Bone needles are known only from modern human sites in later periods, and this probably means that Neanderthals did not have the advantage of tailored clothing.
Chris Stringer and a number of collaborators have looked at Neanderthal teeth, which leave growth marks not unlike tree rings. It has become evident that Neanderthals matured much faster than Homo sapiens. For example, a Neanderthal child from Le Moustier showed a level of maturation of a modern sixteen-year-old but has been estimated to have been only twelve years old. Modern humans’ more extended period of childhood meant that Homo sapiens had (and still have) more time for learning before having to take adult responsibilities. It is interesting to speculate how longer childhoods may have given modern humans an advantage, and it may just be that a longer period of teenage risk-taking helped spur a faster rate of innovation.
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