GM>We see some similarities in the way bear carcasses are treated in
>Neanderthal settings with the way the Chippewa and Ainu treat them.
>How long has this tradition been passed down?
>> It can't be any longer than 125,000 years because according
>> to the Hominid FAQ, "Neandertal man existed between 125,000
>> and 35,000 years ago".
[FAQ author speaking here]
Don't take that as gospel, it's a minimum date only. I've already
increased it to 135,000 years in the next version, and I've heard of
possible dates for Neandertals that are quite a bit older, maybe past
200,000 yrs. The older dates may be from scrappier fossils that are
difficult to conclusively identify. Some of the archaic H.sapiens
fossils, for example, have some Neandertal traits.
-- Jim Foley Symbios Logic, Fort CollinsJim.Foley@symbios.com (303) 223-5100 x9765* 1st 1.11 #4955 * "I am Homer of Borg! Prepare to be...OOooooo! Donuts!!!"