Clive Finlayson

why neanderthals died out and we survived

The humans who went extinct

The Strait of Gibraltar is famous as a major point of passage for Palaearctic birds migrating between their European breeding grounds and their winter quarters in Africa. Clive Finlayson, a native of the Rock and a trained ornithologist, presents a fascinating account of the region and its resident and transitory bird life. The first chapter of the book describes the area, which broadly defined includes the Coto Donana in the north and the Merja Zerga in the south, and the geographic and climatological characteristics which make it a suitable crossing place. In scope this book goes beyond the strict definition of the Strait and, following Irby's 19th Century work, examines the rich area where Europe meets Africa. The chapters which follow describe in detail the migration patterns of the principal passage species including their origins, destinations and overall numbers, showing how the precise conditions of weather and visibility affect the specific choice of route and timing of the crossing. The breeding and wintering bird communities are then considered and the ornithology of the entire region summarized. Whether or not you have ever witnessed the thousands of raptors, storks and other birds that may make this legendary crossing in a single day, this book will conjure the spirit of this extraordinary place. Delightful illustrations by lan Willis complete an important and entertaining book.

Birds of the Strait of Gibraltar

The impacts of global warming are of concern to all of us. The potential responses of birds to climate change have come increasingly to the fore, and are of particular interest to the ornithological community. Are birds sensitive to climate change and how will they react to a world of global warming? These are the key issues to be explored in this book, with particular reference to Western Palearctic birds. Climate changes that have affected the region in the last two million years will be explored, drawing on published data on fossil birds. A major part of the book will be devoted to the distribution of Western Palearctic birds in relation to bioclimate. The final section of the book looks at migration and the relationship of the Western Palearctic to Africa.

The History and Biogeography of Palearctic Birds

Avian survivors

Chris Stringer

R. N. E. Barton

In 1998 a conference was held to mark the 150th anniversary of the famous Gibraltar skull. The papers reflect the state of our knowledge about the role played by Gibraltar and the southern Iberian Peninsula in the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. Contents: Neandertal landscapes (W Davies, J Stewart & T H van Andel) ; Mediterranean perspective on the Middle/Upper Palaeolithic (O Bar-Yosef) ; Mousterian in Mediterranean France (C C Szmidt) ; Late Neandertals in the South West of France (J-P Rigaud) ; Châtelperronian chronology and the case for Neanderthal/Modern Human `acculturation' (P Mellars) ; Final Acheulian to the Middle Palaeolithic in the Iberian Peninsula (F G Pacheco, A Santiago Perez, J Ma Gutierrez Lopez, E Mata Almonte & L Aguilera Rodriguez) ; Middle Palaeolithic technocomplexes and lithic industries in the Northwest Iberian Peninsula (J A Cano Pan, F Giles Pacheco, E Aguirre, A Santiago Perez, F J Garcia Prieto, E Mata Almonte, J Ma Gutierrez & O Prieto Reina) ; Mousterian hearths at Abric Romaní, Catalonia (I Pastó, E Allué & Josep Vallverdú) ; Late Middle Palaeolithic in the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula (M Vaquero & E Carbonell) ; Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition in Cantabrian Spain (V Cabrera, A Pike-Tay, M Lloret & F Bernaldo de Quiros) ; Middle-Upper Palaeolithic transition in Portugal (L Raposo) ; Late extinction of Iberian Neanderthals

Papers from a Conference Marking the 150th Anniversary of the Forbes' Quarry Discovery, Gibraltar

Neanderthals on the Edge

Darren Fa

Gibraltar, located at the meeting points of Europe and Africa, preserves within its fortifications a rich testament to human conflict spanning 600 years. In 1068 the ruling Spanish Muslims built a large fort there. Between 1309 and 1374 Gibraltar underwent a period of intensive building and fortification, and following the Spanish reconquest of 1462 the inhabitants carried out further works. In 1704 the latest, uninterrupted period of British rule began. The 18th century saw three sieges including the most severe, known as the Great Siege, which lasted from 1779 to 1783. During World War II the 'Rock' served as a vital stop for supply convoys and naval staging base, complete with a veritable warren of secret tunnels. This book documents Gibraltar's rich history, and charts the development of these fascinating fortifications.

The Fortifications of Gibraltar 1068–1945

Los neandertales han atraído la atención popular desde hace mucho tiempo. Se parecían tanto a nosotros, los Homo sapiens, y sin embargo desaparecieron. ¿Por qué? La respuesta tradicional es que "nosotros éramos mejores", más capaces, y que terminamos desplazándolos a asentamientos de mala calidad, o acaso eliminándolos violentamente. Sin embargo, no está claro qué sucedió, entre otras razones porque resulta que no sólo eran fuertes sino que su cerebro era grande, incluso mayor que el nuestro; de hecho, probablemente podían hablar y eran muy adaptable, características éstas que habitualmente se han adjudicado en exclusiva a los sapiens. En El sueño del neandertal, Clive Finlayson, en cuyo currículum se encuentra el haber realizado excavaciones en la Cueva de Gorham (Gibraltar), el último asentamiento conocido de los neandertales, explica por qué nosotros sobrevivimos y ellos no, de una forma tan novedosa y rigurosa como fascinante: recurriendo a elementos hasta ahora no utilizados en este dominio, como son los drásticos cambios climáticos que azotaron partes del mundo en que vivían los neandertales hace 70.000 años y que diezmaron y fragmentaron su mundo. En realidad, argumenta Finlayson, si nosotros sobrevivimos fue por una combinación de capacidad y suerte: porque estuvimos en los lugares adecuados en los momentos oportunos.

Por qué se extinguieron los neandertales y nosotros sobrevivimos

El sueño del neandertal

Just 28,000 years ago, the blink of an eye in geological time, the last of Neanderthals died out in their last outpost, in caves near Gibraltar. Thanks to cartoons and folk accounts we have a distorted view of these other humans - for that is what they were. We think of them as crude and clumsy and not very bright, easily driven to extinction by the lithe, smart modern humans that came out of Africa some 100,000 years ago. But was it really as simple as that? Clive Finlayson reminds us that the Neanderthals were another kind of human, and their culture was not so very different from that of our own ancestors. In this book, he presents a wider view of the events that led to the migration of the moderns into Europe, what might have happened during the contact of the two populations, and what finally drove the Neanderthals to extinction. It is a view that considers climate, ecology, and migrations of populations, as well as culture and interaction. His conclusion is that the destiny of the Neanderthals and the Moderns was sealed by ecological factors and contingencies. It was a matter of luck that we survived and spread while the Neanderthals dwindled and perished. Had the climate not changed in our favour some 50 million years ago, things would have been very different. There is much current research interest in Neanderthals, much of it driven by attempts to map some of their DNA. But it's not just a question of studying the DNA. The rise and fall of populations is profoundly moulded by the larger scale forces of climate and ecology. And it is only by taking this wider view that we can fully understand the course of events that led to our survival and their demise. The fact that Neanderthals survived until virtually yesterday makes our relationship with them and their tragedy even more poignant. They almost made it, after all.

Why Neanderthals died out and we survived

The Humans Who Went Extinct

Since the late 1980s the dominant theory of human origins has been that a 'cognitive revolution' (C.50,000 years ago) led to the advent of our species, Homo sapiens. As a result of this revolution our species spread and eventually replaced all existing archaic Homo species, ultimately leading to the superiority of modern humans. Or so we thought. As Clive Finlayson explains, the latest advances in genetics prove that there was significant interbreeding between Modern Humans and the Neanderthals. All non-Africans today carry some Neanderthal genes. We have also discovered aspects of Neanderthal behaviour that indicate that they were not cognitively inferior to modern humans, as we once thought, and in fact had their own rituals and art. Finlayson, who is at the forefront of this research, recounts the discoveries of his team, providing evidence that Neanderthals caught birds of prey, and used their feathers for symbolic purposes. There is also evidence that Neanderthals practised other forms of art, as the recently discovered engravings in Gorham's Cave Gibraltar indicate. Linking all the recent evidence, The Smart Neanderthal casts a new light on the Neanderthals and the 'Cognitive Revolution'. Finlayson argues that there was no revolution and, instead, modern behaviour arose gradually and independently among different populations of Modern Humans and Neanderthals. Some practices were even adopted by Modern Humans from the Neanderthals. Finlayson overturns classic narratives of human origins, and raises important questions about who we really are.

Bird catching, Cave Art, and the Cognitive Revolution

The Smart Neanderthal

Originally published in hardcover: Oxford; New York: Oxford Universtiy Press, 2009.

Why Neanderthals Died Out and We Survived

Nicholas Barton

Excavations at the adjacent sites of Gorham's Cave and Vanguard Cave have yielded a rich combination of archaeological and palaeoenvironmental finds covering a timespan of over 100,000 years. This volume deals with the primary results of the 1995-1998 excavations at both caves. The 24 chapters by leading specialists cover a range of topics from information concerning the nature and sequence of Middle Palaeolithic Neanderthal occupations to the reconstruction of the environmental context of these activities, based on proxy indicators such as sediments, charcoal, amphibians, reptiles, avifaunal remains, and small and large mammals. The Gibraltar evidence provides a rare insight into the lives of Neanderthals in a western Mediterranean coastal setting. It also presents site information on some of the last Neanderthal populations and the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition.

Clive Finlayson

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