Secrets of the Neanderthals

This feature takes viewers on a hands-on journey through what scientists and archeologists have discovered about Neanderthals. From early archeological techniques to more recent modern technologies, Secrets of the Neanderthals shows how dedicated scholars studying Neanderthals do their work, excavate and care for specimens, and theorize about what their findings might mean. Viewers are taken inside caves and archeological labs that further study bones and material left inside and around skeletal remains. And how do these findings suggest various Neanderthal behavior? How does the possible repeated burial of Neanderthals at one particular "burial site" imply some kind of spirituality? How does cannibalism potentially indicate a sophistication we didn't previously imagine? Might they not have been so "dumb" as popular culture likes to think? Why did Neanderthals go extinct, while humans went on living?

This documentary is thorough and interesting. Beginning with early pioneering work done by Dr. Ralph Solecki, including archival footage, this film moves through recent discoveries that have helped further our understanding of how Neanderthals lived, what they ate (they did eat plants!), and how they might have gone extinct. Anyone interested in this kind of work will be enthralled by all the behind-the-scenes examples of archeology, excavation, and examination. For some, the overall presentation maybe could have done without the dramatizations of Neanderthals, but for others, these moments may help visualize how skeletons and bone fragments translate into their "real lives" thousands of years ago.