'Long-Held Secrets' of La Ferrassie Neanderthals Revealed

Skeleton and restoration model of Neanderthal (La Ferrassie 1). Exhibit in the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan.

Credit: Photaro / Wikimedia Commons

La Ferrassie 1 was an old man (likely over 50 years old) who suffered various broken bones during his lifetime and had ongoing respiratory issues when he died. Soon after, he was buried by other members of his group in the La Ferrassie rockshelter, which was repeatedly occupied by Neanderthals during millennia. The skeleton was found in a burial pit and has been dated to between 40,000 and 54,000 years. This skeleton is one of the most important Neanderthal individuals both for its completeness and due to the important role it has played historically in the interpretation of Neanderthal anatomy and lifeways.

Now, researchers have applied some of the latest technological approaches to reveal long-held secrets in the skeleton of this iconic individual. The bones were subjected to high resolution microCT scanning to study the internal anatomy of the skull and several of the bones. The middle ear bones (malleus, incus and stapes) were identified in the scans, held in place inside the skull by sediments from the La Ferrassie cave floor. These are the smallest bones in the human body and are often not preserved in archaeological skeletons, but it was possible to extract 3D virtual models of the bones for analysis. The ear ossicles are complete and help provide a better understanding of the range of variation of this anatomical region in Neanderthals. 

Several pathological conditions were also identified in the skeleton, including a fracture in the collar bone (clavicle), arthritis of the spine and mild scoliosis. Researchers also examined the archaeological materials from the original excavations and identified several new fragments of vertebrae and ribs of La Ferrassie 1.

Study of the original skeleton and analysis of the fracture pattern of the cranium and long bones relying on modern forensic criteria confirmed that nearly all of the fractures were post-mortem (i.e. after death), when the bones lost collagen and were fractured in situ due to the weight of the overlying sediments. Nevertheless, the anatomical connection between the bones was not affected, confirming the original observations made over a century ago by their discoverers, that the La Ferrassie 1 individual was deliberately buried by other members of their social group.

“This insight has figured prominently in subsequent debates, still ongoing in the field, surrounding Neanderthal cultural practices,” said Quam. “The application of new technological approaches to the study of La Ferrassie 1 demonstrates that, over a century after its discovery, this iconic individual is still revealing new insights into Neanderthal anatomy and behavior.”

Researchers from several countries, including Spain, England and the USA collaborated on this study.

Contacts and sources:
Rolf Quam
University of Binghamton

The study, “La Ferrassie 1: New perspectives on a ‘classic’ Neandertal,” was published in the Journal of Human Evolution.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.12.004