La Ferrassie Man: What Makes Him One of World’s Most Famous Neanderthals?

Homo neanderthalensis is just one of the extinct human ancestors, yet we know more facts about them than any other hominin species. Archaeologists have found many artifacts and fossils, which give us a glimpse of their ancient lifestyle and survival. Some even have nearly complete skeletons like the La Ferrassie Man.

Who Is La Ferrassie Man?

In 1909, while excavating an archaeological site in the Dordogne Valley in France, anthropologists Denis Peyrony and Louis Capitan stumbled upon the remains of eight individuals intentionally buried at La Ferrassie rock shelter. The individuals include an adult male, an adult female, children, infants, and two fetuses.

One of the most important discoveries in this site is the skeleton of the adult male who was assigned as La Ferrassie 1. His skull was the largest and most complete Neanderthal skull ever found at the time. The skull showed many typical Neanderthal traits, like a large nasal opening and a low, sloping forehead. The teeth are all preserved but heavily worn, indicating that he was older at the time of his death.

Also known as La Ferrassie Man, this particular individual likely suffered from broken bones during his lifetime and had ongoing respiratory conditions when he died. His skeleton was found in a burial pit and has been dated to between 40,000 and 54,000 years. Since Neanderthals went extinct around 40,000 years ago, this means that La Ferrassie Man lived in the last millennia of his species' time on the planet.

Secrets of Famous Skeleton

In 2018, an international team of experts published the paper "La Ferrassie 1: New perspectives on a "classic" Neandertal," which provided new insights into the famous Neanderthal skeletons. Led by Rolf Quam, the research team applied some of the latest techniques to unveil the secrets of the iconic individual.

Quam and colleagues subjected the bones to high-resolution micro CT scanning to study the internal anatomy of the skull and several bone pieces. They also examined the archaeological materials from the original excavations.

After the analysis, several pathological conditions were identified in the skeleton, such as a fracture in the clavicle, mild scoliosis, and arthritis of the spine. The investigation of the fracture pattern of the cranium and long bones also confirmed that almost all fractures were obtained after death.

Research also indicated that La Ferrassie Man stood around 5 feet and 7 inches (171 centimeters) tall, a measurement that is tall for a Neanderthal. The man is also speculated to be around 50 years old when he died, which is also remarkable since it is rare for scientists to find an individual of his kind over the age of 40.

Many consider La Ferrassie Man a classic example of Neanderthal anatomy. His leg and foot bones proved that this hominin species walked upright with a gait that resembles that of modern humans. This discovery debunked the earlier notion of the Neanderthals from the La Chapelle-aux-Saints Neanderthal skeleton, which showed that this ancient human species was a stooped creature.

Check out more news and information on Neanderthals in Science Times.