View allAll Photos Tagged Neanderthals
...on the night of 27 to 28 august of 2003
Mars and earth were in in the closest position since Neanderthals times. No human aye had ever see it before.
I wonder if humanity will see it again...
After 73 000 years, Earth and Mars was separated only by 34,646,418 miles (55,758,006 kilometers).
Tonight, I was able to connect to Google-Mars...
It is Harvest Season now there...
Mars, 27 August 2007
This photograph is copyrighted and may not be used anywhere, including blogs, without my express permission.
Walking down the street today. Saw a Neanderthal staring at me, so I photographed him with my new Fujifilm Instax 200 camera. So long Polaroid...Hello Fujifilm!
Vitina Marcus…..The Cave Girl
www.vitinamarcus.com/photo.html
A bit of research into the casting choices of Irwin Allen, who wrote, produced, and directed The Lost World, begins to reveal the genius behind the virtuosity.
The first accolades go to Irwin for his casting of Vitina Marcus, the immaculately groomed Saks 5th Avenue cave girl with exquisite taste in makeup, jewelry, and cave-wear. No finer cave girl ever graced a feature film.
Vitina Marcus, as The Cave Girl
She was the picture of prehistoric glamour, gliding across the silver screen in her designer bearskin mini-pelt, her flawless coiffure showing no signs of muss from the traditional courting rituals of the day, her perfect teeth the envy of even the most prototypical Osmond. Even her nouveau-opposable thumbs retained their manicure, in spite of the oft-disagreeable duties that frequently befell her as an effete member of the tribal gentry.
By no means just another Neanderthal harlot, Vitina had a wealth of talent to augment her exterior virtues. Her virtuoso interpretation of a comely cave girl in The Lost World certainly didn't escape the attention Irwin Allen. In fact, he was so taken with her performance that he later engaged her services again, casting her as the Native Girl in episode 2.26 of his Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea TV series.
Leery of potential typecasting, Vitina went on to obtain roles with greater depth and more sophisticated dialogue. This is evidenced by the great departure she took from her previous roles when she next portrayed the part of Sarit, a female barbarian, in episode 1.24 of Irwin Allen's The Time Tunnel TV series.
Vitina, as Sarit
Vitina's efforts to avoid typecasting paid off in spades, as she was soon rewarded with the distinctive role of Girl, a female Tarzanesque she-beast character, in episode 3.14 of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. TV series.
Lured back from the U.N.C.L.E. set by Irwin Allen, Vitina was next cast in the role of Athena (a.k.a. Lorelei), the green space girl with the inverted lucite salad bowl hat, in episodes 2.2 and 2.16 of the revered Lost in Space TV series.
And with this, Vitina reached the pinnacle of her career. For her many unparalleled displays of thespian pageantry, she leaves us forever in her debt as she exits the stage.
The Lost World (20th Century Fox, 1960).
youtu.be/h1CLA-gJbmA?t=5s Trailer
Irwin Allen, the producer who would go on to make the disaster film a huge success in the seventies, brought us this Saturday afternoon fodder with giant lizards posing as dinosaurs. Starring Michael Rennie, David Hedison, Claude Rains and Jill St. John.
Intended as a grand sci-fi/fantasy epic remake of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novel. The first film adaptation, shot in 1925, was a milestone in many ways, but movie making and special effects had come a long way in 35 years. Irwin Allen's Lost World (LW) & 20th Century Fox version was derailed on the way to greatness, but managed to still be a respectable, (if more modest) A-film. Allen's screenplay followed the book fairly well, telling of Professor Challenger's expedition to a remote plateau in the Amazon upon which dinosaurs still lived. Aside from the paleontological presumptions in the premise, there is little "science" in The Lost World. Nonetheless, dinosaur movies have traditionally been lumped into the sci-fi genre.
Synopsis
When his plane lands in London, crusty old professor George Edward Challenger is besieged by reporters questioning him about his latest expedition to the headwaters of the Amazon River. After the irascible Challenger strikes reporter Ed Malone on the head with his umbrella, Jennifer Holmes, the daughter of Ed's employer, Stuart Holmes, offers the injured reporter a ride into town. That evening, Jenny is escorted by Lord John Roxton, an adventurer and big game hunter, to Challenger's lecture at the Zoological Institute, and Ed invites them to sit with him. When Challenger claims to have seen live dinosaurs, his colleague Professor Summerlee scoffs and asks for evidence. Explaining that his photographs of the creatures were lost when his boat overturned, Challenger invites Summerlee to accompany him on a new expedition to the "lost world," and asks for volunteers. When Roxton raises his hand, Jenny insists on going with him, but she is rejected by Challenger because she is a woman. Ed is given a spot after Holmes offers to fund the expedition if the reporter is included. The four then fly to the Amazon, where they are met by Costa, their guide and Manuel Gomez, their helicopter pilot. Arriving unexpectedly, Jenny and her younger brother David insist on joining them. Unable to arrange transportation back to the United States, Challenger reluctantly agrees to take them along. The next day, they take off for the lost world and land on an isolated plateau inhabited by dinosaurs. That evening, a dinosaur stomps out of the jungle, sending them scurrying for cover. After the beast destroys the helicopter and radio, the group ventures inland. When one of the creatures bellows threateningly, they flee, and in their haste, Challenger and Ed slip and tumble down a hillside, where they encounter a native girl. The girl runs into the jungle, but Ed follows and captures her. They then all take refuge in a cave, where Roxton, who has been making disparaging remarks about Jenny's desire to marry him solely for his title, angers Ed. Ed lunges at Roxton, pushing him to the ground, where he finds a diary written by Burton White, an adventurer who hired Roxton three years earlier to lead him to the lost diamonds of Eldorado. Roxton then admits that he never met White and his party because he was delayed by a dalliance with a woman, thus abandoning them to certain death. Gomez angrily snaps that his good friend Santiago perished in the expedition. That night, Costa tries to molest the native girl, and David comes to her rescue and begins to communicate with her through sign language. After Gomez goes to investigate some movement he spotted in the vegetation, he calls for help, and when Roxton runs out of the cave, a gunshot from an unseen assailant is fired, nearly wounding Roxton and sending the girl scurrying into the jungle. Soon after, Ed and Jenny stray from camp and are pursued by a dinosaur, and after taking refuge on some cliffs, watch in horror as their stalker becomes locked in combat with another prehistoric creature and tumbles over the cliffs into the waters below. Upon returning to camp, they discover it deserted, their belongings in disarray. As David stumbles out from some rocks to report they were attacked by a tribe of natives, the cannibals return and imprison them in a cave with the others. As the drums beat relentlessly, signaling their deaths, the native girl reappears and motions for them to follow her through a secret passageway that leads to the cave in which Burton White lives, completely sightless. After confirming that all in his expedition perished, White tells them of a volcanic passageway that will lead them off the plateau, but warns that they must first pass through the cave of fire. Cautioning them that the natives plan to sacrifice them, White declares that their only chance of survival is to slip through the cave and then seal it with a boulder. After giving them directions to the cave, White asks them to take the girl along. As the earth, on the verge of a volcanic eruption, quakes, they set off through the Graveyard of the Damned, a vast cavern littered with dinosaur skeletons, the victims of the deadly sulfurous gases below. Pursued by the ferocious natives, Roxton takes the lead as they inch their way across a narrow ledge above the molten lava. After escaping the natives, they jam the cave shut with a boulder and, passing a dam of molten lava, finally reach the escape passage. At its mouth is a pile of giant diamonds and a dinosaur egg. As Costa heaps the diamonds into his hat, Challenger fondles the egg and Gomez pulls a gun and announces that Roxton must die in exchange for the death of Santiago, Gomez' brother. Acting quickly, Ed hurls the diamonds at Gomez, throwing him off balance and discharging his gun. The gunshot awakens a creature slumbering in the roiling waters below. After the beast snatches Costa and eats him alive, Ed tries to dislodge the dam, sending a few scorching rocks tumbling down onto the monster. Feeling responsible for the peril of the group, Gomez sacrifices his life by using his body as a lever to dislodge the dam, covering the creature with oozing lava. As the cave begins to crumble from the impending eruption, the group hurries to safety. Just then, the volcano explodes, destroying the lost world. After Roxton hands Ed a handful of diamonds he has saved as a wedding gift for him and Jenny, Challenger proudly displays his egg, which then hatches, revealing a baby dinosaur. The End.
The 50s had seen several examples of the dinosaur sub-genre. LW is one of the more lavish ones, owing to color by DeLuxe and CinemaScope. The A-level actors help too. Claude Rains plays the flamboyant Challenger. Michael Rennie plays Roxton, perhaps a bit too cooly. Jill St. John and Vitina Marcus do well as the customary eye candy. David Hedison as Malone and Fernando Lamas as Gomez round out the bill.
The first film version of LW was a silent movie shot in 1925: screenplay by Marion Fairfax. The film featured stop-motion animated dinosaurs by a young Willis O'Brien. Fairfax followed Doyle's text, but Fairfax added a young woman to the team, Paula White. Ostensibly trying to find her father from the first failed expedition, she provided the love triangle interest between Malone and Roxton.
Allen's screenplay tried to stick to Doyle's text as much as Hollywood would allow. It carried on Fairfax's invention of the young woman member of the group as triangle fodder. Fairfax had Doyle's ape men (ape man) but omitted the native humans. Allen had the natives, but no ape men. Allen revived the Gomez/revenge subplot, which Fairfax skipped. Doyle's story had Challenger bringing back a pterodactyl. Fairfax made it a brontosaur who rampaged through London streets (spawning a popular trope). Allen suggested the baby dinosaur traveling to London.
Willis O'Brien pitched 20th Century Fox in the late 50s, to do a quality remake of LW. He had gained much experience in the intervening 35 years, so his stop-motion dinosaurs were to be the real stars. Fox bass liked the idea, but by the time the ball started rolling, there was trouble in studioland. Fox's grand epic Cleopatra was underway, but was already 5 million dollars over budget. Cleo would nearly sink 20th Century Fox when it was finally released in 1963. To stay afloat, all other Fox films' budgets were slashed. Allen could no longer afford the grand O'Brien stop-motion.
Allen's production is often criticized for its "cheap" dinosaurs, which were live monitor lizards and alligators with fins and plates and horns glue onto them. (more on that below) These were already a bit cheesy when used in the 1940 film One Million B.C.. O'Brien is still listed on the credits as "Effects Technician," but all Allen could afford was lizards with glued on extras. Somewhat amusingly, the script still refers to them as brontosaurs and T-Rexes.
The character of Jennifer Holmes starts out promising. She's a self-assured to the edges of pushy, and is said to be able to out shoot and out ride any man. Yet, when she gets to the Amazon jungle, she's little more than Jungle Barbie, dressed in girlie clothes and screaming frequently. She even does the typical Hollywood trip-and-fall when chased by the dinosaur, so that a man must save her.
Bottom line? FW is a finer example of the not-quite-sci-fi dinosaur sub-genre. The actors are top drawer, even if some of their acting is a bit flat. Nonetheless, FW is a fair adaptation of Doyle's
classic adventure novel, given the constraints of Hollywood culture.
The Movie Club Annals … Review
The Lost World 1960
Introduction
There was absolutely nothing wrong with Irwin Allen's 1960 production of The Lost World. Nothing. It was perfect in every way. I therefore find myself in the unique and unfamiliar position of having to write a rave review about a Movie Club movie that was entirely devoid of flaws.
Faced with such a confounding task, I half-heartedly considered faking a bad review, then praying my obvious deceptions would go unnoticed. But the patent transparency of my scheme convinced me to abandon it posthaste. After all, leveling concocted criticisms at such an unassailable masterpiece would be a futile and tiresome exercise, the pretense of which would escape nary a semi-cognizant soul.
Thus, having retreated from my would-be descent into literary intrigue, I start this review in earnest by borrowing a quote from the legendary Shelly Winters, spoken during the 1972 filming of Irwin Allen's The Poseidon Adventure:
"I'm ready for my close up now, Mr. Allen.” Shelly Winters, 1972
Review
A bit of research into the casting choices of Irwin Allen, who wrote, produced, and directed The Lost World, begins to reveal the genius behind the virtuosity.
The first accolades go to Irwin for his casting of Vitina Marcus, the immaculately groomed Saks 5th Avenue cave girl with exquisite taste in makeup, jewelry, and cave-wear. No finer cave girl ever graced a feature film.
Vitina Marcus, as The Cave Girl
She was the picture of prehistoric glamour, gliding across the silver screen in her designer bearskin mini-pelt, her flawless coiffure showing no signs of muss from the traditional courting rituals of the day, her perfect teeth the envy of even the most prototypical Osmond. Even her nouveau-opposable thumbs retained their manicure, in spite of the oft-disagreeable duties that frequently befell her as an effete member of the tribal gentry.
By no means just another Neanderthal harlot, Vitina had a wealth of talent to augment her exterior virtues. Her virtuoso interpretation of a comely cave girl in The Lost World certainly didn't escape the attention Irwin Allen. In fact, he was so taken with her performance that he later engaged her services again, casting her as the Native Girl in episode 2.26 of his Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea TV series.
Leery of potential typecasting, Vitina went on to obtain roles with greater depth and more sophisticated dialogue. This is evidenced by the great departure she took from her previous roles when she next portrayed the part of Sarit, a female barbarian, in episode 1.24 of Irwin Allen's The Time Tunnel TV series.
Vitina, as Sarit
Vitina's efforts to avoid typecasting paid off in spades, as she was soon rewarded with the distinctive role of Girl, a female Tarzanesque she-beast character, in episode 3.14 of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. TV series.
Lured back from the U.N.C.L.E. set by Irwin Allen, Vitina was next cast in the role of Athena (a.k.a. Lorelei), the green space girl with the inverted lucite salad bowl hat, in episodes 2.2 and 2.16 of the revered Lost in Space TV series.
And with this, Vitina reached the pinnacle of her career. For her many unparalleled displays of thespian pageantry, she leaves us forever in her debt as she exits the stage.
For those who would still question the genius of Irwin Allen, I defy you to find a better casting choice for the character of Lord John Roxton than that of Michael Rennie. Mr. Rennie, who earlier starred as Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still, went on to even greater heights, starring as The Keeper in episodes 1.16 and 1.17 of the revered Lost in Space TV series. Throughout his distinguished career, Mr. Rennie often played highly cerebral characters with
unique names, such as Garth A7, Tribolet, Hasani, Rama Kahn, Hertz, and Dirk. How befitting that his most prolific roles came to him through a man named Irwin, a highly cerebral character with a unique name.
The selection of David Hedison to play Ed Malone was yet another example of Irwin's uncanny foresight. Soon after casting him in The Lost World, Irwin paved Mr. Hedison's path to immortality by casting him as a lead character in his Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea TV series. Although Voyage ended in 1968, Mr. Hedison departed the show with a solid resume and a bright future.
In the decades following Voyage, Mr. Hedison has been a veritable fixture on the small screen, appearing in such socially influential programs as The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Knight Rider, The Fall Guy and The A Team. Mr. Hedison's early collaborations with Irwin Allen have left him never wanting for a day's work in Hollywood, a boon to the legions of discerning fans who continue to savor his inspiring prime time depictions.
Irwin selected Fernando Lamas to play Manuel Gomez, the honorable and tortured soul of The Lost World who needlessly sacrificed himself at the end of the movie to save all the others. To get a feel for how important a casting decision he was to Irwin, just look at the pertinent experience Mr. Lamas brought to the table:
Irwin knew that such credentials could cause him to lose the services of Mr. Lamas to another project, and he took great pains to woo him onto the set of The Lost World. And even though Mr. Lamas never appeared in the revered Lost in Space TV series, his talent is not lost on us.
Jay Novello was selected by Irwin Allen to play Costa, the consummate Cuban coward who perpetually betrays everyone around him in the name of greed. In pursuing his craven calling, Mr. Novello went on to play Xandros, the Greek Slave in Atlantis, The Lost Continent, as well as countless other roles as a coward.
Although Mr. Novella never appeared in the revered Lost in Space TV series, his already long and distinguished career as a coward made him the obvious choice for Irwin when the need for an experienced malingerer arose.
Jill St. John was Irwin's pick to play Jennifer Holmes, the "other" glamour girl in The Lost World. Not to be upstaged by glamour-cave-girl Vitina Marcus, Jill played the trump card and broke out the pink go-go boots and skin-tight Capri pants, the perfect Amazonian summertime jungle wear.
Complete with a perfect hairdo, a killer wardrobe, a little yip-yip dog named Frosty, and all the other trappings of a wealthy and pampered prehistoric society, Jill's sensational allure rivaled even that of a certain cave girl appearing in the same film.
With the atmosphere rife for an on-set rivalry between Jill and Vitina, Irwin still managed to keep the peace, proving that he was as skilled a diplomat as he was a director.
Claude Rains, as Professor George Edward Challenger
And our cup runneth over, as Irwin cast Claude Rains to portray Professor George Edward Challenger. His eminence, Mr. Rains is an entity of such immeasurable virtue that he is not in need of monotonous praise from the likes of me.
I respectfully acknowledge the appearance of Mr. Rains because failure to do so would be an unforgivable travesty. But I say nothing more on the subject, lest I state something so obvious and uninspiring as to insult the intelligence of enlightened reader.
Irwin's casting of the cavemen mustn't be overlooked, for their infallibly realistic portrayals are unmatched within the Pleistocene Epoch genre of film. Such meticulous attention to detail is what separates Irwin Allen from lesser filmmakers, whose pale imitations of his work only further to underscore the point.
To be sure, it is possible to come away with the unfounded suspicion that the cavemen are really just a bunch of old white guys from the bar at the local Elks lodge. But Irwin was an absolute stickler for authenticity, and would never have allowed the use of such tawdry measures to taint his prehistoric magnum opus.
In truth, Irwin's on-screen cavemen were borne of many grueling years of anthropological research, so the explanation for their somewhat modern, pseudo-caucasian appearance lies obviously elsewhere. And in keeping with true Irwin Allen tradition, that explanation will not be offered here.
1964 - Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Season One, Episode 7 - "Turn Back the Clock", featuring Vitina Marcus as The Native Girl. Produced by Irwin Allen.
And then there was Irwin Allen's masterful handling of the reptilian facets of The Lost World, most notably his inimitable casting of the dinosaurs. His dinosaurs were so realistic, so eerily lifelike, that they almost looked like living, breathing garden variety lizards with dinosaur fins and horns glued to their backs and heads.
The less enlightened viewer might even suppose this to be true, that Irwin's dinosaurs were indeed merely live specimens of lizards, donned in Jurassic-era finery, vastly magnified, and retro-fitted into The Lost World via some penny-wise means of cinematic trickery.
But those of us in the know certainly know better than that, as we are privy to some otherwise unpublished information about The Lost World. The lifelike appearance of the Irwin's dinosaurs can be attributed to a wholly overlooked and fiendishly cunning approach to the art of delusion, which is that the dinosaurs didn't just look real, they were real.
While the world abounds with middling minds who cannot fathom such a reality, we must follow Irwin's benevolent leanings and temper our natural feelings of contempt for this unfortunate assemblage of pedestrian lowbrows. In spite of Irwin's superior intellect, he never felt disdain toward the masses that constituted his audiences. He simply capitalized on their unaffectedness, and in the process recounted the benefits of exploiting the intellectually bereft for personal gain.
The purpose of all this analysis, of course, is to place an exclamation point on the genius of Irwin Allen, the formation of his dinosaur exposé being a premier example. Note how he mindfully manipulates the expectations of his unsuspecting audience, compelling them to probe the dinosaurs for any signs of man-made chicanery. Then, at the palatial moment when the dinosaurs make their entry, he guilefully supplants the anticipated display of faux reptilia with that of the bona fide article.
Upon first witnessing the de facto dinosaurs, some in the audience think they've been had, and indeed they have. Irwin, in engineering his masterful ruse, had used reality as his medium to convey the illusion of artifice. His audience, in essence, was blinded by the truth. It was the immaculate deception, and none but Irwin Allen could have conceived it.
Indeed, the matter of where the live dinosaurs came from has been conspicuously absent from this discussion, as the Irwinian technique of fine film making strongly discourages the practice of squandering time on extraneous justifications and other such trite means of redundant apologia. For the benefit of the incessantly curious, however, just keep in mind that Irwin Allen wrote and produced The Time Tunnel TV Series, a fact that should provide some fair insight into his modis operandi.
Carl R.
Made from driftwood, the beach in Hokitika New Zealand was full of driftwood sculptures, I really liked this one.
Andenne
Andenne is a city in Belgium located in the Walloon Region in the province of Namur.
Remains of an ancient Neanderthal occupation have been found at the Scladina site in Sclayn. Finds in the nearby village of Strud (Gesves) include what is considered to be one of the oldest known insect fossils.
It was in 692, the Merovingian period, that Andenne began its development, thanks to the foundation of a monastery by Begge (or Begga), grandmother of Charlemagne, sister of Gertrude de Nivelles, mother of Pépin de Herstal and grandmother by Charles Martel where he was born 1.
On a trip to Rome, the Pope encouraged Begge, then a widow, to build a monastery. God made known to Begge the exact place where to establish this monastery, by showing him a sow and her seven piglets, then a hen and her seven chicks. These signs were interpreted by Begge as the divine will to see a sanctuary with seven chapels installed there. Thus was born Andenne, the city of seven churches. More likely, the pilgrimage to the seven basilicas of Rome was undoubtedly at the origin of the creation of these parishes. A chapter of canonesses, also founded by Begge, settled around these churches at the same time.
It is also said that Charles Martel, still a child, killed, at the beginning of the 7th century, a bear which terrorized the Mosan city. This legend explains the presence of this animal as a symbol of the city.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the plastic lands of Andenne (the “white derle”) favored the development of ceramics. Pottery and terracotta tiles were exported far beyond the city limits. The manufacture of clay pipes dates from the end of the 18th century. Andenne was also distinguished by the production of fine earthenware. Today, a Ceramics Museum bears witness to this flourishing activity which once made Andenne famous throughout the world.
In the 18th century, the seven churches were destroyed and their stones used to build the collegiate church of Sainte-Begge, a neoclassical building built between 1764 and 1778 by Laurent-Benoît Dewez (1731-1812), the official architect of Charles-Alexandre de Lorraine . The collegiate church currently houses a museum which presents religious objects.
Source: fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andenne
Neanderthal (D), 22 juli 1988.
ESA 815 702 + ETA 515 522 als trein 6276 Mettmann - Düsseldorf naderd station Neanderthal (waar inderdaad een oermens gevonden is) en passeert daarbij een fraai uitgevoerde seinhuis en een koppel uitrijdseinen.
Book cover for "Kuna: The Neanderthal's Wife," published in the STARCALL Anthology, sold at www.amazon.com/author/bobbello and www.bn.com/s/bobbello
■ Itinerant Dinosaur Exhibition which took place in September 2015 in Torrejon de Ardoz (Madrid, Spain). Besides the many life-size dinosaur replicas (some of them animatronic, even offered as rides for young children) it also featured a prehistoric tour showing the way of life of Neanderthals, an assorted fossil collection and a hosted multimedia show. All in all, very worthwhile as an educational event and extremely enjoyable to children and parents alike.
Pic 5 of 30: Juvenile Apatosaurus, a North American sauropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic period.
Taken handheld with my Panasonic Lumix TZ7 (ZS3) in very scarce and rapidly changing available light, which made using the small built-in flash mandatory as well as selecting ISO 200/400 in all shots for increased flash range to cater for the very large subjects.
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■ Exhibición itinerante de dinosaurios que tuvo lugar en Septiembre de 2015 en Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid). Además de las muchas réplicas a tamaño real de dinosaurios de todo tipo (algunos de ellos animatrónicos, que los niños podían montar) también incluía un recorrido por la prehistoria mostrando el modo de vida de los Neandertales, una colección de fósiles variados y un espectáculo multimedia conducido por un animador. En conclusión, una exhibición muy válida como evento educativo y un gran disfrute para padres e hijos.
Foto 5 de 30: Cría de Apatosaurio, un saurópodo que vivió en Norteamérica a finales del periodo Jurásico.
Tomada a pulso con mi Panasonic Lumix TZ7 (ZS3) en luz ambiente muy escasa y rápidamente variable, que hizo obligatorio el uso del pequeño flash incorporado y la elección de ISO 200/400 en todas las fotos para aumentar el alcance del flash en vista del gran tamaño de los sujetos.
To enhance the Neanderthal discovery site within walking distance of the Neanderthal Museum, the Neanderthal Museum Foundation has built the Cave View Experience Tower. It is the highlight when visiting the Neanderthal Museum and completes the "Neandertal Experience World". This includes the museum and its five adjacent attractions: The Stone Age Playground, the Art Trail, the Stone Age Workshop, the Ice Age Game Enclosure, and the Discovery Site with the new Cave View Experience Tower. which is an open steel structure on the site of the Neanderthal discovery cave "Feldhofer Grotte", which was completely destroyed by lime mining in the 19th century. The 22 m high tower can be accessed barrier-free alternately by inner and outer ramps over 360 meters. The tower's landmark is the skull-shaped dome above the upper platform. The oversized skull of the Neanderthal is about 9 meters long and weighs 6 tons. The ascent to the tower is accompanied by various multimedia offers that allow you to travel back in time to a distant past.
Source: Press information of the Neanderthal Museum
The site located east of Erkrath where the Neanderthal type specimen was excavated by miners in the 19th century, now maintained by the Neanderthal Museum.
One of the locals accompanying a group from the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) on a field visit to Shanidar Cave is pictured inside the cave, in the Zagros Mountains, Kurdistan, Iraq. The cave is an archaeological site excavated between 1957 and 1961 by a team from Columbia University and initially yielded nine adult Neanderthal skeletons, the first to be found in Iraq, dating between 60.000 and 80.000 years B.P.
A tenth skeleton was recently discovered by archeo-biologist Melinda Zeder during examination of a faunal assemblage from the site at the Smithsonian Institution. The remains seem to suggest that Neanderthals had funeral ceremonies, burying their dead with flowers, and that they took care of injured individuals. One skeleton and casts of the others at the Smithsonian Institution are all that is left of the findings.
Photo ID 471462. 06/04/2011. Shanidar, Iraq. UN Photo/Bikem Ekberzade. www.unmultimedia.org/photo/
From Wikipedia:
The prehistory of the Iberian peninsula begins with the arrival of the first hominins 1.2 million years ago and ends with the Punic Wars, when the territory enters the domains of written history. In this long period, some of its most significant landmarks were to host the last stand of the Neanderthal people, to develop some of the most impressive Paleolithic art, alongside with southern France, to be the seat of the earliest civilizations of Western Europe and finally to become a most desired colonial objective due to its strategic position and its many mineral riches.
english
Hominin inhabitation of the Iberian Peninsula dates from the Paleolithic. Early hominin remains have been discovered at a number of sites on the peninsula. Significant evidence of an extended occupation of Iberia by Neanderthal man has also been discovered. Homo sapiens first entered Iberia towards the end of the Paleolithic. For a time Neanderthals and modern humans coexisted until the former were finally driven to extinction. Modern man continued to inhabit the peninsula through the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods.
Iberia has a wealth of prehistoric sites. Many of the best preserved prehistoric remains are in the Atapuerca region, rich with limestone caves that have preserved a million years of human evolution. Among these sites is the cave of Gran Dolina, where six hominin skeletons, dated between 780,000 and 1.2 million years ago, were found in 1994. Experts have debated whether these skeletons belong to the species Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, or a new species called Homo antecessor. In the Gran Dolina, investigators have found evidence of tool use to butcher animals and other hominins, the first evidence of cannibalism in a hominin species. Evidence of fire has also been found at the site, suggesting they cooked their meat.
Also in Atapuerca, is the site at Sima de los Huesos, or "Pit of Bones". Excavators have found the remains of 30 hominins dated to about 400,000 years ago. The remains have been tentatively classified as Homo heidelbergensis and may be ancestors of the Neanderthals. No evidence of habitation has been found at the site except for one stone hand-ax, and all of the remains at the site are of young adults or teenagers. The age similarity suggests the remains were not the result of accidents. The seemingly deliberate placement of remains and lack of habitation may mean that the bodies were deliberately interred in the pit as a place of burial, which would make the site the first evidence of hominin burial.
Around 200,000 BC, during the Lower Paleolithic period, Neanderthals first entered the Iberian Peninsula. Around 70,000 BC, during the Middle Paleolithic period the last ice age began and the Neanderthal Mousterian culture was established. Around 35,000 BC, during the Upper Paleolithic, the Neanderthal Châtelperronian cultural period began. Emanating from Southern France this culture extended into Northern Iberia. This culture continued to exist until around 28,000 BC when Neanderthal man faced extinction, their final refuge being present-day Portugal.
Neanderthal remains have been found at a number of sites on the Iberian Peninsula. A Neanderthal skull was found in Forbes' Quarry in Gibraltar in 1848 making it the second territory after Belgium where remains of Neanderthals were found. Neanderthals were not recognized as a separate species until the discovery of remains in Neandertal, Germany in 1856, though their classification as a separate species has recently been called into question. Subsequent Neanderthal discoveries in Gibraltar have also been made including the skull of a four-year-old child and preserved excrement on top of baked mussel shells.
In Zafarraya a Neanderthal mandible and Mousterian tools, associated with the Neanderthal culture, were found in 1995. The mandible was dated to about 28,000 BC and the tools to about 25,000 BC. These dates make the Zafarraya remains the youngest evidence of Neanderthals and have expanded the timeline of Neanderthal existence. The more recent dating of the remains also provides the first evidence for prolonged co-existence between Neanderthals and modern man. L'Arbreda Cave in Catalonia contains Aurignacian cave paintings, as well as earlier remains from Neanderthals. Some have also suggested that the newer remains in Iberia suggest Neanderthals were driven out of Central Europe by modern man to the Iberian peninsula where they sought refuge.
Upper Paleolithic
Early Upper Paleolithic
The Chatelperronian culture (typically associated with Neanderthal man) is found in the Cantabrian region and in Catalonia.
The Aurignacian culture (work of Homo sapiens) succeeds it and has the following periodization:
Archaic Aurignacian: found in Cantabria (Morín and El Pendo caves), where it alternates with Chatelperronian, and in Catalonia. The carbon-14 (14C) dates for Morín cave are relatively late in the European context: c. 28,500 BP, but the occupation dates for El Pendo (where it's older than Chatelperronian layers) must be of earlier date.
Typical Aurignacian: it is found in Cantabria (Morín, El Pendo, Castillo), the Basque Country (Santimamiñe) and Catalonia. The radicarbon datations give the following dates: 32,425 and 29,515 BP.
Evolved Aurignacian: it is found in Cantabria (Morin, El Pendo, El Otero, Hornos de la Peña), Asturias (El Cierro, El Conde) and Catalonia.
Final Aurignacian: in Cantabria (El Pendo), after the Gravettian interlude.
In the Mediterranean area (south of the Ebro), Aurignacian remains have been found sparsely distributed in the Lands of Valencia (Les Mallaetes) and Murcia (Las Pereneras) and Andalusia (Higuerón), as far west as Gibraltar (Gorham's Cave). The 14C dates available are: 29,100 BP (Les Mallaetes), 28,700 and 27,860 BP (Gorham's Cave).
Middle Upper Paleolithic
Gravettian
The Gravettian culture followed the steps of the Aurignacian expansion but its remains are not very abundant in the Cantabrian area (north), while in the southern region they are more common.
In the Cantabrian area all Gravettian remains belong to late evolved phases and are found always mixed with Aurignacian technology. The main sites are found in the Basque Country (Lezetxiki, Bolinkoba), Cantabria (Morín, El Pendo, El Castillo) and Asturias (Cueto de la Mina). It is archeologically divide in two phases characterized by the amount of Gravettian elements: the phase A has a 14C date of c.20,710 BP and the phase B is of later date.
The Cantabrian Gravettian has been paralleled to the Perigordian V-VII of the French sequence. It eventually vanishes from the archaeological sequence and is replaced by an "Aurignacian renaissance", at least in El Pendo cave. It is considered "intrusive", in contrast with the Mediterranean area, where it probably means a real colonization.
In the Mediterranean region, the Gravettian culture also had a late arrival. Nevertheless, the south-east has an important number of sites of this culture, especially in the Land of Valencia (Les Mallaetes, Parpaló, Barranc Blanc, Meravelles, Coba del Sol, Ratlla del Musol, Beneito). It is also found in the Land of Murcia (Palomas, Palomarico, Morote) and Andalusia (Los Borceguillos, Zájara II, Serrón, Gorham's Cave).
The first indications of modern human colonization of the interior and the west of the peninsula are found only in this cultural phase, with a few late Gravettian elements found in the Manzanares valley (Madrid) and Salemas cave (Alentejo, Portugal).
Solutrean
The Solutrean culture shows its earliest appearances in Laugerie Haute (Dordogne, France) and Les Mallaetes (Land of Valencia), with radiocarbon dates of 21,710 and 20,890 BP respectively.[2] In the Iberian peninsula it shows three different facies:
The Iberian (or Mediterranean) facies is defined by the sites of Parpalló and Les Mallaetes in the province of Valencia. They are found immersed in important Gravettian perdurations that would eventually redefine the facies as "Gravettizing Solutrean."[2] The archetypical sequence, that of Parpalló and Les Mallaetes caves, is:
Initial Solutrean.
Full or Middle Solutrean, dated in its lower layers to 20,180 BP.
An sterile layer with signs of intense cold that is related to the Last Glacial Maximum.
Upper or Evolved Solutrean, including bone tools and also needles of this material.
These two caves are surrounded by many other sites (Barranc Blanc, Meravelles, Rates Penaes, etc.) that show only a limited impact of Solutrean and instead have many Gravettian perdurations, showing a convergence that has been named as "Gravetto-Solutrean".
Solutrean is also found in the Land of Murcia, Mediterranean Andalusia and the lower Tagus (Portugal). In the Portuguese case there are no signs of Gravettization.
The Cantabrian facies shows two markedly different tendencies in Asturias and the Vasco-Cantabrian area. The oldest findings are all in Asturias and lack of the initial phases, beginning with the full Solutrean in Las Caldas (Asturias) and other nearby sites, followed by evolved Solutrean, with many unique regional elements. Radiocarbon dates oscillate between 20,970 and 19,000 BP.
In the Vasco-Cantabrian area instead the Gravettian influences seem persistent and the typical Solutrean foliaceous elements are minority. Some transitional elements that prelude the Magdalenian, like the monobiselated bone spear point, are already present. Most important sites are Altamira, Morín, Chufín, Salitre, Ermittia, Atxura, Lezetxiki, and Santimamiñe.
In northern Catalonia there is an early local Solutrean, followed by scarce middle elements but with a well-developed final Solutrean. It is related to the French Pyrenean sequences. Main sites are Cau le Goges, Reclau Viver and L'Arbreda.
In the region of Madrid there were some findings attributed to Solutrean that are today missing.
Late Upper Paleolithic
This phase is defined by the Magdalenian culture, even if in the Mediterranean area the Gravettian influence is still persistent.
In the Cantabrian area, the early Magdalenian phases show two different facies: the "Castillo facies" evolves locally over final Solutrean layers, while the "Rascaño facies" appears in most cases directly over the natural soil (no earlier occupations of these sites).
In the second phase, the lower evolved Magdalenian, there are also two facies but now with a geographical divide: the "El Juyo facies" is found in Asturias and Cantabria, while the "Basque Country facies" is only found in this region.
The dates for this early Magdalenian period oscillate between 16,433 BP for Rascaño cave (Rascaño facies), 15,988 and 15,179 BP for the same cave (El Juyo facies) and 15,000 BP for Altamira (Castillo facies). For the Basque Country facies the cave of abauntz has given 15,800 BP.[2]
The middle Magdalenian shows less abundance of findings.
The upper Magdalenian is closely related to that of southern France (Magdalenian V and VI), being characterized by the presence of harpoons. Again there are two facies (called A and B) that appear geographically interwined, though the facies A (dates: 15,400–13,870 BP) is absent in the Basque Country and the facies B (dates 12,869–12,282 BP) is rare in Asturias.
In Portugal there have been some findings of the upper Magdalenian north of Lisbon (Casa da Moura, Lapa do Suão). A possible intermediate site is La Dehesa (Salamanca, Spain), that is clearly associated with that of the Cantabrian area.
In the Mediterranean area, Catalonia again is directly connected with the French sequence, at least in the late phases. Instead the rest of the region shows a unique local evolution known as Parpallense.
The sometimes called Parpalló "Magdalenian" (extended by all the south-east) is actually a continuity of the local Gravetto-Solutrean. Only the late upper Magdlenian actually includes true elements of this culture, like proto-harpoons. Radicarbon dates for this phase are of c. 11,470 BP (Borran Gran). Other sites give later dates that actually approach the Epi-Paleolithic
Paleolithic art
Together with France, the Iberian peninsula is one of the prime areas of Paleolithic cave paintings. This artistic manifestation is found most importantly in the northern Cantabrian area, where the earliest manifestations (Castillo, El Conde) are as old as Aurignacian times, even if rare.
The practice of this mural art increases in frequency in the Solutrean period, when the first animals are drawn, but it is not until the Magdalenian cultural phase when it becomes truly widespread, being found in almost every cave.
Most of the representations are of animals (bison, horse, deer, bull, reindeer, goat, bear, mammoth, moose) and are painted in ochre and black colors but there are exceptions and human-like forms as well as abstract drawings also appear in some sites.
In the Mediterranean and interior areas, the presence of mural art is not so abundant but exists as well since the Solutrean.
Also, several examples of open-air art exist, such as the monumental Côa Valley (Portugal), Chimachias, Los Casares or La Pasiega, or, in general, the caves principally in Cantabria (in Spain).
Archaeogenetics
Around 40,000 BC, the first large settlement of Europe by modern humans, nomadic hunter-gathereres. When the last ice age reached its maximum extent, these modern humans took refuge in Southern Europe, namely in Iberia, and on the steppe of southern Ukraine and Russia.
From around 32,000 to 21,000 BC, the modern human Aurignacian culture dominated Europe. Around 30,000 BC, a new wave of modern humans made their way from Southern France into the Iberian peninsula. Around 28,000 BC, the Gravettian culture began to succeed the Aurignacian.
The R1b Haplogroup, dominant in modern Portuguese and Spanish populations, is estimated to have developed less than 18,500 years BP in southwest Asia.
Epipaleolithic
Around 10,000 BC, an interstadial deglaciation called the Allerød Oscillation occurred, weakening the rigorous conditions of the last ice age. This climatic change also represents the end of the Upper Palaeolithic period, beginning the Epipaleolithic.
As the climate became warmer, the late Magdalenian peoples of Iberia modified their technology and culture. The main techno-cultural change is the process of microlithization: the reduction of size of stone and bone tools, also found in other parts of the World. Also the cave sanctuaries seem to be abandoned and art becomes rarer and mostly done on portable objects, such as peebles or tools.
It also implies changes in diet, as the megafauna virtually disappears when the steppe becomes woodlands. In this period, hunted animals are of smaller size, typically deer or wild goats, and seafood becomes an important part of the diet where available.
Azilian
The first Epipaleolithic culture is the Azilian, also known as microlaminar microlithism in the Mediterranean. This culture is the local evolution of Magdalenian, parallel to other regional derivatives found in Central and Northern Europe. Original from the Franco-Cantabrian region, it eventually expands to Mediterranean Iberia as well.
An archetypical Azilian site in the Iberian peninsula is Zatoya (Navarre), where it is difficult to discern the early Azilian elements from those of late Magdalenian (this transition dated to 11,760 BP). Full Azilian in the same site is dated to 8,150 BP, followed by appearance of geometric elements at a later date, that continue until the arrival of pottery (subneolithic stage).
In the Mediterranean area, virtually this same material culture is often named microlaminar microlithism because it lacks of the bone industry typical of Franco-Cantabrian Azilian. It is found in parts of Catalonia, Lands of Valencia and Murcia and Mediterranean Andalusia. It has been dated in Les Mallaetes at 10,370 BP
Geometrical microlithism
In the late phases of the Epipaleolithic a new trend arrives from the north: the geometrical microlithism, directly related to Sauveterrian and Tardenoisian cultures of the Rhin-Danube region.
While in the Franco-Cantabrian region it has a minor impact, not altering the Azilian culture substantially, in Mediterranean Iberia and Portugal its arrival is more noticeable. The Mediterranean geometrical microlithism has two facies:
The Filador facies is directly related to French Sauveterrian and is found in Catalonia, north of the Ebro river.
The Cocina facies is more widespread and, in many sites (Málaga, Spain), shows a strong dependence of fishing and seafood gathering. The Portuguese sites (south of the Tagus, Muge group) have given dates of c.7350
Asturian
A rather mysterious exception to generalized microlithism is the so-called Asturian culture, actually identified by a single artifact: the Asturian pick-axe, and found only in coastal locations, especially in Eastern Asturias and Western Cantabria. It is believed that the Asturian tool was used for seafood gathering.
Neolithic
In the 6th millennium BC, Andalusia experiences the arrival of the first agriculturalists. Their origin is uncertain (though North Africa is a serious candidate) but they arrive with already developed crops (cereals and legumes). The presence of domestic animals instead is unlikely, as only pig and rabbit remains have been found and these could belong to wild animals. They also consumed large amounts of olives but it's uncertain too whether this tree was cultivated or merely harvested in its wild form. Their typical artifact is the La Almagra style pottery, quite variegated.
The Andalusian Neolithic also influenced other areas, notably Southern Portugal, where, soon after the arrival of agriculture, the first dolmen tombs begin to be built c. 4800 BC, being possibly the oldest of their kind anywhere.
C. 4700 BC Cardium Pottery Neolithic culture (also known as Mediterranean Neolithic) arrives to Eastern Iberia. While some remains of this culture have been found as far west as Portugal, its distribution is basically Mediterranean (Catalonia, Valencian region, Ebro valley, Balearic islands).
The interior and the northern coastal areas remain largely marginal in this process of spread of agriculture. In most cases it would only arrive in a very late phase or even already in the Chalcolithic age, together with Megalithism.
Chalcolithic
The Chalcolithic or Copper Age is the earliest phase of metallurgy. Copper, silver and gold started to be worked then, though these soft metals could hardly replace stone tools for most purposes. The Chalcolithic is also a period of increased social complexity and stratification and, in the case of Iberia, that of the rise of the first civilizations and of extense exchange networks that would reach to the Baltic and Africa.
The conventional date for the beginning of Chalcolithic in Iberia is c. 3000 BC. In the following centuries, especially in the south of the peninsula, metal goods, often decorative or ritual, become increasingly common. Additionally there is an increased evidence of exchanges with areas far away: amber from the Baltic and ivory and ostrich-egg products from Northern Africa.
It is also the period of the great expansion of Megalithism, with its associated collective burial practices. In the early Chalcolithic period this cultural phenomenon, maybe of religious undertones, expands along the Atlantic regions and also through the south of the peninsula (additionally it's also found in virtually all European Atlantic regions). In contrast, most of the interior and the Mediterranean regions remain refractary to this phenomenon.
Another phenomenon found in the early chalcolithic is the development of new types of funerary monuments: tholoi and artificial caves. These are only found in the more developed areas: southern Iberia, from the Tagus estuary to Almería, and SE France.
Eventually, c. 2600 BC, urban communities began to appear, again especially in the south. The most important ones are Los Millares in SE Spain and Zambujal (belonging to Vila Nova de São Pedro culture) in Portuguese Estremadura, that can well be called civilizations, even if they lack of the literary component.
It is very unclear if any cultural influence originated in the Eastern Mediterranean (Cyprus?) could have sparked these civilizations. On one side the tholos does have a precedent in that area (even if not used yet as tomb) but on the other there is no material evidence of any exchange between the Eastern and Western Mediterranean, in contrast with the abundance of goods imported from Northern Europe and Africa.[2]
Since c. 2150 BC, the Bell Beaker culture intrudes in Chalcolithic Iberia. After the early Corded style beaker, of quite clear Central European origin, the peninsula begins producing its own types of Bell Beaker pottery. Most important is the Maritime or International style that, associated especially with Megalithism, is for some centuries abundant in all the peninsula and southern France.
Since c. 1900, the Bell Beaker phenomenon in Iberia shows a regionalization, with different styles being produced in the various regions: Palmela type in Portugal, Continental type in the plateau and Almerian type in Los Millares, among others.
Like in other parts of Europe, the Bell Beaker phenomenon (speculated to be of trading or maybe religious nature) does not significantly alter the cultures it inserts itself in. Instead the cultural contexts that existed previously continue basically unchanged by its presence.
Bronze Age
Early Bronze
The center of Bronze Age technology is in the southeast since c. 1800 BC. There the civilization of Los Millares was followed by that of El Argar, initially with no other discontinuity than the displacement of the main urban center some kilometers to the north, the gradual appearance of true bronze and arsenical bronze tools and some greater geographical extension. The Argarian people lived in rather large fortified towns or cities.
From this center, bronze technology spread to other areas. Most notable are:
Bronze of Levante: in the Land of Valencia. Their towns were smaller and show intense interaction with their neighbours of El Argar.
South-Western Iberian Bronze: in southern Portugal and SW Spain. These poorly defined archaeological horizons show the presence of bronze daggers and an expansive trend in northwards direction.
Cogotas I culture (Cogotas II is Iron Age Celtic): the pastoralist peoples of the plateau become for the first time culturally unified. Their typical artifact is a rough troncoconic pottery.
Some areas like the civilization of Vila Nova seem to have remained apart from the spread of bronze metallurgy remaining technically in the Chalcolithic period for centuries.
Middle Bronze
This period is basically a continuation of the previous one. The most noticeable change happens in the El Argar civilization, which adopts the Aegean custom of burial in pithoi. This phase is known as El Argar B, beginning c. 1500 BC.
The North-West (Galicia and northern Portugal), a region that held some of the largest reserves of tin (needed to make true bronze) in Western Eurasia, became a focus for mining, incorporating then the bronze technology. Their typical artifacts are bronze axes (Group of Montelavar).
The semi-desert region of La Mancha shows its first signs of colonization with the fortified scheme of the Motillas (hill forts). This group is clearly related to the Bronze of Levante, showing the same material culture.
Late Bronze
C. 1300 BC several major changes happen in Iberia, among them:
The Chalcolithic culture of Vila Nova vanishes, possibly in direct relation to the silting of the canal connecting the main city Zambujal with the sea.[4] It is replaced by a non-urban culture, whose main artifiact is an externally burnished pottery.
El Argar also disappears as such, what had been a very homogeneous culture, a centralized state for some, becomes an array of many post-Argaric fortified cities.
The Motillas are abandoned.
The proto-Celtic Urnfield culture appears in the North-East, conquering all Catalonia and some neighbouring areas.
The Lower Guadalquivir valley shows its first clearly differentiated culture, defined by internally burnished pottery. This group might have some relation with the semi-historical, yet-to-be-found, Tartessos.
Western Iberian Bronze cultures show some degree of interaction, not just among them but also with other Atlantic cultures in Britain, France and elsewhere. This has been called the Atlantic Bronze complex.
Iron Age
The Iron Age in the Iberian peninsula has two focus: the Hallstatt-related Iron Age Urnfields of the North-East and the Phoenician colonies of the South.
Celtic expansion
Since the late 8th century BC, the Urnfield culture of North-East Iberia began to develop Iron metallurgy and, eventually, elements of the Hallstatt culture. The earliest elements of this culture were found along the lower Ebro river, then gradually expanded upstream to La Rioja and in a hybrid local form to Alava. There was also expansion southwards into Castelló, with less marked influences reaching further south. Additionally, some offshots have been detected along the Iberian Mountains, possibly a prelude to the formation of the Celtiberi.
During this period, the social differentiation became more visible with evidence of local chiefdoms and a horse-riding elite. It is possible that these transformations represent the arrival of new waves from Central Europe.
From these outposts in the Upper Ebro and the Iberian mountains, the Celtic culture expanded into the plateau and the Atlantic coast. Several groups can be described:
The Bernorio-Miraveche group (northern Burgos and Palencia provinces), that would influence the peoples of the northern fringe.
The Duero group, probable precursor of the Vaccei.
The Cogotas II culture, likely precursor of the Vettones, of marked cattle-herder nature, that would gradually expand southwards into Extremadura.
The Lusitanian Castros group, in Central Portugal, precursor of the Lusitani.
The North-West Castros culture, in Northern Portugal and Galicia, related to the previous one but with strong peculiarities due to the clear persistence of the Atlantic Bronze substrate.
All these Indo-European groups have some common elements, like combed pottery since the 6th century and uniform weaponry.
After c. 600 BC, the Urnfields of the North-East were replaced by the Iberian culture, in a process that wasn't completed until the 4th century BC. This physical separation from their continental relatives would mean that the Celts of the Iberian peninsula never received the cultural influences of La Tène culture, including Druidism.
Phoenician colonies and influence
The Phoenicians of Asia, Greeks of Europe, and Carthaginians of Africa all colonized parts of Iberia to facilitate trade. During the 10th century BC, the first contacts between Phoenicians and Iberia (along the Mediterranean coast) were made. This century also saw the emergence of towns and cities in the southern littoral areas of eastern Iberia.
The Phoenicians founded colony of Gadir (modern Cádiz) near Tartessos. The foundation of Cádiz, the oldest continuously-inhabited city in western Europe, is traditionally dated to 1104 BC, although, as of 2004, no archaeological discoveries date back further than the 9th century BC. The Phoenicians continued to use Cádiz as a trading post for several centuries leaving a variety of artifacts, most notably a pair of sarcophaguses from around the 4th or 3rd century BC. Contrary to myth, there is no record of Phoenician colonies west of the Algarve (namely Tavira), even though there might have been some voyages of discovery. Phoenician influence in what is now Portuguese territory was essentially through cultural and commercial exchange with Tartessos.
During the 9th century BC, the Phoenicians (from the city-state of Tyre founded the colony of Carthage (in North Africa). During this century, Phoenicians also had great influence on Iberia with the introduction the use of Iron, of the Potter's wheel, the production of Olive oil and Wine. They were also responsible for the first forms of Iberian writing, had great religious influence and accelerated urban development. However, there is little evidence to support the myth of a Phoenician foundation of the city of Lisbon as far back as 1300 BC, under the name Alis Ubbo ("Safe Harbour"), even if in this period there are organized settlements in Olissipona (modern Lisbon, in Portuguese Estremadura) with clear Mediterranean influences.
There was strong Phoenician influence and settlement in the city of Balsa (modern Tavira in the Algarve) in the 8th century BC. Phoenician influenced Tavira was destroyed by violence in the 6th century BC. With the decadence of Phoenician colonization of the Mediterranean coast of Iberia in the 6th century BC many of the colonies are deserted. The 6th century BC also saw the rise of the colonial might of Carthage, which slowly replaced the Phoenicians in their former areas of dominion.
Greek colonies
The Greek colony at what now is Marseilles began trading with the Iberians on the eastern coast around the 8th century BC. The Greeks finally founded their own colony at Ampurias, in the eastern Mediterranean shore (modern Catalonia), during the 6th century BC beginning their settlement in the Iberian peninsula. There are no Greek colonies west of the Strait of Gibraltar, only voyages of discovery. There is no evidence to support the myth of an ancient Greek founding of Olissipo (modern Lisbon) by Odysseus.
The Tartessian-Orientalizing culture
The name Tartessian, when applied in archaeology and linguistics does not necessarily correlate with the semi-mythical city of Tartessos but only roughly with the area where it is typically assumed it should have been located.
The Tartessian-Orientalizing culture of southern Iberia actually is the local culture as modified by the increasing influence of Eastern elements, especially Phoenician. Its core area is Western Andalusia, but soon extends to Eastern Andalusia, Extremadura and the Lands of Murcia and Valencia, where a Proto-Orientalizing Tartessian complex, rooted in the local Bronze cultures, can already be defined in the last stages of the Bronze Age (ninth-8th centuries BC), before Phoenician influences can be determined clearly.
The full Tartessian-Orientalizing culture, beginning c.720 BC, also extends to Southern Portugal, where is eventually replaced by Lusitanian culture. One of the most significant elements of this culture is the introduction of the potter's wheel, that, along with other related technical developments, causes a major improvement in the quality of the pottery produced. There are other major advances in craftsmanship, affecting jewelry, weaving and architecture.[2] This latter aspects is especially important, as the traditional circular huts were then gradually replaced by well finished rectangular buildings. It also allowed for the construction of the tower-like burial monuments that are so typical of this culture.
Agriculture also seems to have experienced major advances with the introduction of steel tools and, presumably, of the yoke and animal traction for the plough. In this period it's noticeable the increase of cattle accompanied by some decrease of sheep and goat types.
Another noticeable element is the major increase in economical specialization and social stratification. This is very noticeable in burials, with some showing off great wealth (chariots, gold, ivory), while the vast majority are much more modest. There is much diversity in burial rituals in this period but the elites seem to converge in one single style: a chambered mound. Some of the most affluent burials are generally attributed to local monarchs.
One of the developments of this period is writing, a skill which was probably acquired through contact woth the Phoenicians. In recent years, John T. Koch has claimed to have deciphered the extant Tartessian inscriptions and has tentatively identified the language as an earlier form of the Celtic languages now spoken in the British Isles and Brittany. The linguistic, archeological and genetic evidence for this claim is explained in the book 'Celtic from the West' edited with Barry Cunliffe published by Oxbow Books in 2010. However, the linguistic mainstream continues to treat Tartessian as an unclassified (Pre-Indo-European?) language, and Koch's view of the evolution of Celtic is not generally accepted.
The Iberian culture
In the Iberian culture people were organized in chiefdoms and states. Three phases can be identified: the Ancient, the Middle and the Late Iberian period.
With the arrival of Greek influences, not limited to their few colonies, the Tartessian-Orientalizing culture begins to transform itself, especially in the South East. This late period is known as the Iberian culture, that in Western Andalusia and the non-Celtic areas of Extremadura is called Ibero-Turdetanian because of its stronger links with the Tartessian substrate.
The Hellenic influence is visible in the gradual change of the style of their monuments that approach more and more the models arrived from the Greek world.[2] Thus the obelisk-like funerary monuments of the previous period now adopt a column like form, totally in line with Greek architecture.
By the middle of the 5th century, aristocratic power was increased and resulted in the abandonment and transformation of the orientalizing model. The oppidum appeared and became the socio-economic model of the aristocratic class. The commerce was also one of the principal sources of aristocratic control and power. In the south east, between the end of the 5th and the end of the 4th century BC, appeared a highly hierarchical aristocratic society. There were different forms of political control. The power and control seemed to be in the hand of kings or reguli.
Iberian funerary customs are dominated by cremation necropolis, that are partly due to the persistent influences of Urnfield culture, but they also include burial customs imported from the Greek cultural area (mudbrick rectangular mound).[2]
Urbanism was important in the Iberian cultural area, especially in the south, where Roman accounts mention hundreds of oppida (fortified towns). In these towns (some quite large, some mere fortified villages) the houses were typically arranged in contiguous blocks, in what seems to be another Urnfield cultural influx.
The Iberian script evolves from the Tartessian one with Greek influences that are noticeable in the transformation of some characters. In a few cases a variant of Greek alphabet (Ibero-Ionian script) was used to write Iberian as well.
The transformation from Tartessian to Iberian culture was not sudden but gradual and was more marked in the East, where it begins in the 6th century BC, than in the South-West, where it is only noticeable since the 5th century BC and much more tenuous. A special case is the North-East where the Urnfield culture was Iberized but keeping some elements from the Indo-European substrate.
Post-Tartessos Iron Age
Also during the 6th century BC there was a cultural shift in south-western Iberia (what is now southern Portugal and nearby areas of Andalusia) after the fall of Tartessos, with a strong Mediterranean character that prolonged and modified Tartessian culture. This occurred mainly in Low Alentejo and the Algarve, but had littoral extensions up to the Tagus mouth (namely the important city of Bevipo, modern Alcácer do Sal). The first form of writing in western Iberia (south of Portugal), the Southwest script (still to be translated), dated to the 6th century BC, denotes strong Tartessian influence in its use of a modified Phoenician alphabet. In these writings the word Conii (similar to Cunetes or Cynetes, the people of the Algarve) appears frequently.
The poem Ora Maritima, written by Avienus in the 4th century and based on the Massaliote Periplus of the 6th century BC, states that all of western Iberia was once called for the name of its people, the Oestriminis, which were replaced by an invasion of the Saephe or Ophis (meaning Serpent). From then on western Iberia would have been known as Ophiussa (Land of the Serpents). The poem probably translates the impact of the Second wave of Indo-European migrations (Celtic) in the 7th century BC. The poem also describes the various ethnic groups the present at that time:
The Saephe or Ophis, today seen as probably Hallstatt culture Celts, in all of western Iberia (modern Portugal) between the Douro and the Sado rivers.
The Cempsi, probably Hallstatt culture Celts, in the Tagus mouth and the south up to the Algarve.
The Cynetes in the extreme south and some cities along the Atlantic coast (such as Olissipo, modern Lisbon), probably not Indo-European[citation needed], but autochthonous Iberian[citation needed] of Tartessian background (even if strongly or totally celticized over the next centuries).
The Dragani, Celt or Proto-Celt of the first Indo-European wave, in the mountainous areas of Galicia, northern Portugal, Asturias and Cantabria.
The Lusis, probably a first reference to the Lusitanians, similar to the Dragani (Celt or Proto-Celt of the first Indo-European wave).
The 5th century BC saw the urban bloom of Tartessian influenced Tavira, further development of strong Central European (Celtic) influences and migrations in western Iberia north of the Tagus river and the development of a second Castro Village culture in Galicia and northern Portugal. Minting of coins and use of money in the Iberian peninsula dates back to the 5th century BC. During this century discovery voyages to the Atlantic are made by the Carthaginians. The Greek historian Herodotus of Halicarnassus cites the word Iberia to designate what is now the Iberian peninsula, according to ancient Greek custom.
In the 4th century BC, the Celtici, a new wave of Celtic migration, enter Iberia going as far as modern-day Portuguese territory and settle in the Alentejo also penetrating in the Algarve. The Turduli and Turdetani, probably descendants of the Tartessians, although celticized, became established in the area of the Guadiana river, in the south of modern Portugal. A series of cities in the Algarve, such as Balsa (Tavira), Baesuris (Castro Marim), Ossonoba(Faro) and Cilpes (Silves), became inhabited by the Cynetes progressively mingled with Celtic populations. The Lusitanians (most probably proto-Celt) began to inhabit the area between the Douro and the Tagus rivers (and progressively penetrate the High Alentejo). They are neighbored to the east by the Vettones (also probably proto-Celt). The Celtic Calaicians or Gallaeci inhabit all the region above the Douro river (modern Galicia and northern Portugal).
Arrival of Romans and Punic Wars
During the 4th century BC, Rome began to rise as a Mediterranean power rival to Africa-based Carthage. After their defeat to Rome in the First Punic War (264–241 BC), the Carthaginians began to extend their conquest of Iberia to expand their empire further into Europe. In the Second Punic War (218–202 BC), Hannibal marched his armies, which included Iberians, from Africa through Iberia to cross the Alps and attack the Romans in Italy. Carthage was again defeated and lost Iberia. Rome began its conquest and occupation of the peninsula, thus beginning the era of Hispania.
■ Itinerant Dinosaur Exhibition which took place in September 2015 in Torrejon de Ardoz (Madrid, Spain). Besides the many life-size dinosaur replicas (some of them animatronic, even offered as rides for young children) it also featured a prehistoric tour showing the way of life of Neanderthals, an assorted fossil collection and a hosted multimedia show. All in all, very worthwhile as an educational event and extremely enjoyable to children and parents alike.
Pic 17 of 30: Coin-operated dinosaur-themed kiddie ride with sound and motion, perhaps resembling some kind of Gorgosaurus.
Taken handheld with my Panasonic Lumix TZ7 (ZS3) in very scarce and rapidly changing available light, which made using the small built-in flash mandatory as well as selecting ISO 200/400 in all shots for increased flash range to cater for the very large subjects.
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■ Exhibición itinerante de dinosaurios que tuvo lugar en Septiembre de 2015 en Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid). Además de las muchas réplicas a tamaño real de dinosaurios de todo tipo (algunos de ellos animatrónicos, que los niños podían montar) también incluía un recorrido por la prehistoria mostrando el modo de vida de los Neandertales, una colección de fósiles variados y un espectáculo multimedia conducido por un animador. En conclusión, una exhibición muy válida como evento educativo y un gran disfrute para padres e hijos.
Foto 17 de 30: Máquina recreativa infantil a monedas, con sonido y movimiento, en forma de dinosaurio, quizás algún tipo de Gorgosaurio.
Tomada a pulso con mi Panasonic Lumix TZ7 (ZS3) en luz ambiente muy escasa y rápidamente variable, que hizo obligatorio el uso del pequeño flash incorporado y la elección de ISO 200/400 en todas las fotos para aumentar el alcance del flash en vista del gran tamaño de los sujetos.
Neandertal Museum. Australopithecus sediba ist eine Art der ausgestorben Gattung Australopithecus, die vor rund zwei Millionen Jahren im Gebieten des heutigen Südafrika lebte.
Urheberrecht
Die hier gezeigten Fotos sind Eigentum von Dominik Bund und sind urheberrechtlich geschützt. Wenn Sie Interesse an einem oder mehrere Fotos haben, wenden Sie sich gerne an mich. dominikbund@yahoo.de .Veröffentlichung nur mit Fotografennennung, sowie gegen Honorar.
SOLD.
Lucy - Neanderthal, Cro-magnon? Who was she, how did she live, was she happy, was she sad?
I've tried Artybecca's tutorial on Flickr...
815 737-2 und 515 541-1 habne den Bahnhof Neanderthal verlassen und streben der Landeshauptstadt entgegen.
Bear in mind the basis of this is a still photo that I've added motion elements to. I'll film people out there when the time comes.
This is productive, because I'm learning about compositing and video editing. :)
28 Januari 2012 - Ontdekking dat de Neanderthalers in Maastricht 250000 jaar geleden al verf op okerbasis gebruikten. Dat kan zijn voor lichaamsdecoratie of misschien wel muurschilderingen.
■ Itinerant Dinosaur Exhibition which took place in September 2015 in Torrejon de Ardoz (Madrid, Spain). Besides the many life-size dinosaur replicas (some of them animatronic, even offered as rides for young children) it also featured a prehistoric tour showing the way of life of Neanderthals, an assorted fossil collection and a hosted multimedia show. All in all, very worthwhile as an educational event and extremely enjoyable to children and parents alike.
Pic 6 of 30: Brachiosaurus, a North American dinosaur from the Late Jurassic period.
Taken handheld with my Panasonic Lumix TZ7 (ZS3) in very scarce and rapidly changing available light, which made using the small built-in flash mandatory as well as selecting ISO 200/400 in all shots for increased flash range to cater for the very large subjects.
.
■ Exhibición itinerante de dinosaurios que tuvo lugar en Septiembre de 2015 en Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid). Además de las muchas réplicas a tamaño real de dinosaurios de todo tipo (algunos de ellos animatrónicos, que los niños podían montar) también incluía un recorrido por la prehistoria mostrando el modo de vida de los Neandertales, una colección de fósiles variados y un espectáculo multimedia conducido por un animador. En conclusión, una exhibición muy válida como evento educativo y un gran disfrute para padres e hijos.
Foto 6 de 30: Braquiosaurio, un dinosaurio que vivió en Norteamérica a finales del periodo Jurásico.
Tomada a pulso con mi Panasonic Lumix TZ7 (ZS3) en luz ambiente muy escasa y rápidamente variable, que hizo obligatorio el uso del pequeño flash incorporado y la elección de ISO 200/400 en todas las fotos para aumentar el alcance del flash en vista del gran tamaño de los sujetos.
The Neanderthal Museum is a museum in Mettmann, Germany. It was established in 1996. Located at the site of the first Neanderthal man discovery in the Neandertal, it features an exhibit centered on human evolution. The museum was constructed in 1996 to a design by the architects Zamp Kelp, Julius Krauss and Arno Brandlhuber and draws about 170,000 visitors per year. The museum also includes an archaeological park on the original discovery site, a Stone Age workshop, as well as an art trail named "human traces". All signs in the museum as well as the audio guide offered by the museum are available in German and English.
Source: wikipedia.org
■ Itinerant Dinosaur Exhibition which took place in September 2015 in Torrejon de Ardoz (Madrid, Spain). Besides the many life-size dinosaur replicas (some of them animatronic, even offered as rides for young children) it also featured a prehistoric tour showing the way of life of Neanderthals, an assorted fossil collection and a hosted multimedia show. All in all, very worthwhile as an educational event and extremely enjoyable to children and parents alike.
Pic 16 of 30: Brachiosaurus, a North American dinosaur from the Late Jurassic period.
Taken handheld with my Panasonic Lumix TZ7 (ZS3) in very scarce and rapidly changing available light, which made using the small built-in flash mandatory as well as selecting ISO 200/400 in all shots for increased flash range to cater for the very large subjects.
.
■ Exhibición itinerante de dinosaurios que tuvo lugar en Septiembre de 2015 en Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid). Además de las muchas réplicas a tamaño real de dinosaurios de todo tipo (algunos de ellos animatrónicos, que los niños podían montar) también incluía un recorrido por la prehistoria mostrando el modo de vida de los Neandertales, una colección de fósiles variados y un espectáculo multimedia conducido por un animador. En conclusión, una exhibición muy válida como evento educativo y un gran disfrute para padres e hijos.
Foto 16 de 30: Braquiosaurio, un dinosaurio que vivió en Norteamérica a finales del periodo Jurásico.
Tomada a pulso con mi Panasonic Lumix TZ7 (ZS3) en luz ambiente muy escasa y rápidamente variable, que hizo obligatorio el uso del pequeño flash incorporado y la elección de ISO 200/400 en todas las fotos para aumentar el alcance del flash en vista del gran tamaño de los sujetos.
I had a great idea for this wonderful Challenge of Garth's but I'll try that some other time. Time has caught me - my wife asked me to paint the extension to our kitchen yesterday and gave me two days (well with the Wedding and all the running about, I've got restrictions) to complete. I said I would if she would "allow" me to golf tonight - I completed hence the rush, golfing very soon ;-)
Now, not really smoke and mirrors just this Neanderthal person appeared from nowhere shouting water, water and all of a sudden my Barnies cool mug flew out of my hands in the direction of the Neanderthal - what an opportunity for me as I just happened to have my camera in hand!!
Will pop back onto Flickr after my golf and I have to be honest and say that I love Flickr's new Group Page - very cool!
Our Daily Challenge ~ SMOKE AND MIRRORS .....
Thanks, in advance, to everyone who views this photo, adds a note, leaves a comment and of course BIG thanks to anyone who chooses to favourite my photo .... thanks to you all.
In september 2021 is de situatie in Neanderthal flink veranderd ten opzichte van de foto uit 1986 www.flickr.com/photos/ahrend01/51528563890 .
De accu's zijn verleden tijd – de tweedehandsjes uit Beieren van de Regiobahn rijden op diesel – en de kalk wordt niet meer per spoor afgevoerd. De goederensporen zijn opgebroken en de armseinen zijn verdwenen. Het riante stationsgebouw staat er nog wel als privébezit met kleine bedrijfjes en er is een museum gekomen over de Neanderthalers op 300 meter van het station (niet zichtbaar op de foto).
De VT 111 naar Wuppertal Hbf vertrekt via verkeerd spoor, omdat het gebruikelijke zuidelijke spoor door het noodweer in juli 2021 niet veilig bereden kan worden.
This is not far from the site where the first Neandertal man (Homo neanderthalensis) was found. Here we see one of the typical limestone rocks. The place where I took this photo is a former limestone quarry.
■ Itinerant Dinosaur Exhibition which took place in September 2015 in Torrejon de Ardoz (Madrid, Spain). Besides the many life-size dinosaur replicas (some of them animatronic, even offered as rides for young children) it also featured a prehistoric tour showing the way of life of Neanderthals, an assorted fossil collection and a hosted multimedia show. All in all, very worthwhile as an educational event and extremely enjoyable to children and parents alike.
Pic 3 of 30: Dilophosaurus, a North American dinosaur from the early Jurassic Period.
Taken handheld with my Panasonic Lumix TZ7 (ZS3) in very scarce and rapidly changing available light, which made using the small built-in flash mandatory as well as selecting ISO 200/400 in all shots for increased flash range to cater for the very large subjects.
.
■ Exhibición itinerante de dinosaurios que tuvo lugar en Septiembre de 2015 en Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid). Además de las muchas réplicas a tamaño real de dinosaurios de todo tipo (algunos de ellos animatrónicos, que los niños podían montar) también incluía un recorrido por la prehistoria mostrando el modo de vida de los Neandertales, una colección de fósiles variados y un espectáculo multimedia conducido por un animador. En conclusión, una exhibición muy válida como evento educativo y un gran disfrute para padres e hijos.
Foto 3 de 30: Dilofosaurio (Dilophosaurus), un dinosaurio que vivió en Norteamérica a principios del periodo Jurásico.
Tomada a pulso con mi Panasonic Lumix TZ7 (ZS3) en luz ambiente muy escasa y rápidamente variable, que hizo obligatorio el uso del pequeño flash incorporado y la elección de ISO 200/400 en todas las fotos para aumentar el alcance del flash en vista del gran tamaño de los sujetos.
■ Itinerant Dinosaur Exhibition which took place in September 2015 in Torrejon de Ardoz (Madrid, Spain). Besides the many life-size dinosaur replicas (some of them animatronic, even offered as rides for young children) it also featured a prehistoric tour showing the way of life of Neanderthals, an assorted fossil collection and a hosted multimedia show. All in all, very worthwhile as an educational event and extremely enjoyable to children and parents alike.
Pic 20 of 30: Neanderthal people in their habitat after hunting deer for food.
Taken handheld with my Panasonic Lumix TZ7 (ZS3) in very scarce and rapidly changing available light, which made using the small built-in flash mandatory as well as selecting ISO 200/400 in all shots for increased flash range to cater for the very large subjects.
.
■ Exhibición itinerante de dinosaurios que tuvo lugar en Septiembre de 2015 en Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid). Además de las muchas réplicas a tamaño real de dinosaurios de todo tipo (algunos de ellos animatrónicos, que los niños podían montar) también incluía un recorrido por la prehistoria mostrando el modo de vida de los Neandertales, una colección de fósiles variados y un espectáculo multimedia conducido por un animador. En conclusión, una exhibición muy válida como evento educativo y un gran disfrute para padres e hijos.
Foto 20 de 30: Hombres de Neandertal en su habitat después de cazar ciervos para comer.
Tomada a pulso con mi Panasonic Lumix TZ7 (ZS3) en luz ambiente muy escasa y rápidamente variable, que hizo obligatorio el uso del pequeño flash incorporado y la elección de ISO 200/400 en todas las fotos para aumentar el alcance del flash en vista del gran tamaño de los sujetos.