Introduction: Neanderthal behavior and temporal resolution of archeological assemblages

Abstract

Neanderthal behavior is currently one of the main topics in paleoanthropological and archeological research. This interest is largely related to the debate about the emergence of modern humans and the extinction of Neanderthals. In this context, some researchers have considered Neanderthal behavior as archaic and essentially different to the “modern behavior” characteristic of Homo sapiens. We present in this chapter a general outline of this debate in different domains of the archeological research, from technology and subsistence to spatial patterns. Moreover, we point out that these behavioral issues should be approached by taking into account the temporal nature of the archeological assemblages, since temporal resolution may be a primary factor in interassemblage variability. Due to these time-dependent formation processes, Abric Romaní appears as a site particularly suitable to yield information on Neanderthal behavior.