Discovering Neanderthals
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What students do
- Describe the 1856 Feldhofer Grotto discovery and the skull features that set it apart
- Compare the competing nineteenth-century theories for what the Neander Valley bones actually were
- Analyze Thomas Huxley's 1863 conclusion that the skull was ape-like in shape yet still human
- Explain how one contested skull opened the science of paleoanthropology
What it covers
- What the 1856 Neander Valley discovery actually consisted of, a skullcap and a few limb bones
- The heavy brow ridge and sloping forehead that made scientists question what they were looking at
- How Thomas Huxley's careful measurements led to his 1863 conclusion
- Why the Neanderthal debate is a good model for how science corrects itself
Learning targets
- Describe the 1856 Neander Valley (Feldhofer Grotto) fossil discovery and explain why it surprised scientists.
- Identify the distinctive features of the Neanderthal skull (heavy brow ridge, low sloping forehead) and what they suggested about early humans.
- Analyze how one skull discovery changed scientific ideas about human origins and forced scientists to reconsider what 'human' meant.
- Evaluate how naturalists like Thomas Huxley used evidence to revise earlier assumptions, showing how science self-corrects.
From one teacher to another
What do you do with a skull that doesn't look like anyone currently walking around? That's the single question this lesson sits with, and students follow the whole argument that grew out of it, from a diseased-person theory through Huxley's careful anatomical comparison to his conclusion that the bones were ape-like yet still human. It's a compact period, but it earns its place by showing students that a scientist changing his mind in the face of new evidence is part of the process working correctly.
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