If the Neanderthal had survived into modern times, how would history be different?

Question

Would they have just died out at a later date? Could they possibly consolidate and become a viable community? How could that effect religion, philosophy, and/or the 'humanities'?

Answer 1

Neanderthals were intelligent; enough so that they had developed religion, I cannot stress enough how important that is. They would not have been much less intelligent than us, if at all, but we were the more creative, and thus we made technological advances which enabled us to survive. Neanderthals did make those advances, but it took them much longer. They had complex languages and there is no evidence they were any less intelligent than us.

But anyway, if they had survived I think they either would have completely interbred, or if that were not possible they would live in separate communities. Their languages would have been inherently different to our in the way the developed, more so than modern languages, and it probably would have been hard for either of us to pick the other up. I don't think for a second they would mix into our communities, which would be different, if not much, to how they naturally are.

They weren't very different from us, there is a school of thought that they were not a separate species, but that we are both subspecies of the same species. Either way, they had religion, ritual, a complex social structure, complex language, etc, very, very similar to us, but it would have been inherently different to ours, if but a little, and I doubt we could ever live or work together.

Answer 2

I think there probably wouldn't have been a lot of competition because they had small numbers so it wouldn't have affected humans much in the beginning but I think they would have populated like the humans did than we would have had big problems. Probably more wars with this species over land, food, etc. Humans could be very vicious and we probably would have tried to kill them off. We maybe would have made them our slaves like we did to our own kind. In every religion, it says that God created humans separately from the rest of the animals and so they would be severely 2nd class citizens if they lived with us and horribly treated. We would probably be horribly treated as well if it turns out that they were more "dominant" than the humans. If there was a way for humans and Neanderthals to mate, we would have half breeds which would be a whole other class entirely, b/c there not quite human and not quite Neanderthal. There are so many ways this could go and I don't have enough space or time lol...but we would be totally different if they survived.

Answer 3

One theory is that Neanderthal DID survive, but not in the way you mean.
They "mixed" ("bred" to use a rougher term) with their "cousins" homo sapiens and their genes became part of our own modern gene pool.

Answer 4

We would have had a race of hard workers who would do all the heavy lifting and carrying. They would have made great slaves. There was an idea being thrown around by the Nazi that Slaves were decendents of Neandertals and therefore were an inferior race only fit for hard labour.

Answer 5

It is possible that they would have evolved their brains and be just like Homo Sapiens Sapiens. Though if they have some physical and mental diferences, then it might spark a rivalry between the two.

Answer 6

Come to my office. I think some of them survived enough to move into the higher levels of management.

Answer 7

Well, we could all be typing in grunts on the internet and actually thinking Kentuck Fried Chicken really was once a chicken.

Answer 8

We wouldn't need Power Steering.




Yours: Grumpy

Answer 9

good question, however there are several surviving neanderthals, one is named George W. Bush, you may be familiar with him.

Answer 10

They have and live in the red states.