Neandertales

For decades, Neanderthals were considered a primitive and crude species, incapable of rivaling Homo sapiens. However, the latest scientific discoveries reveal a fascinating reality that has completely transformed our understanding of our relatives. Thanks to research by multidisciplinary experts combining paleontology, geology, archaeology, and 3D technology, we now have an in-depth understanding of their biology, diet, material culture, and cognitive evolution. Far from being rudimentary, the brains of our Neanderthal ancestors possessed capabilities that allowed them to master fire, develop revolutionary technological innovations, and create artistic and symbolic expressions. This choral work takes us deep into the numerous sites on the Iberian Peninsula--from Gibraltar to the Pyrenees--where a series of exceptional finds have changed our perception of these ancient inhabitants and revealed their relationship with other human species, their coexistence with a wide variety of fauna, and the environmental conditions that shaped their existence. Among these discoveries, the scientific reconstruction of a Neanderthal woman stands out, whose features and genetic heritage reveal a profound truth: Neanderthals did not disappear entirely. They live on in us, in our biology and in the collective memory of what it means to be human. Their history is not an echo of the past, but an essential part of our own.