https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnthropology/comments/1h429o0/neanderthals_clan_meetings/
created by saskatoonauthor on 01/12/2024 at 12:30 UTC
7 upvotes, 2 top-level comments (showing 2)
I think there were clans of only 10-20 individuals spread out over all of Europe, into Asia and the middle east. The vastness of the space and a total estimate of perhaps up to 70,000 Neanderthals at any given moment. Given these factors, I'm wondering if meeting other clans and taking new mates was an accidental occurrence or something that could be planned, like on a known trail for herds of reindeer or steppe bison. Thoughts and thank you!
Comment by weeddealerrenamon at 01/12/2024 at 18:51 UTC
9 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I think the answers to this will be pretty much the same as for early humans - for most of our history we were very sparse too. And I think the answer is "probably, sometimes!"
Total average population density would have been quite low, and accidentally running into a different group wouldn't have been common (I do *not* have actual data here, but I bet someone could do some napkin math and tell you how common). But people don't move around randomly, they move along natural features, follow migration routes, etc. I think it's likely that people (humans and neanderthals) groups would have run into each other where/when food was plentiful and concentrated. Valleys that naturally funneled migrating herds, or a river that's got a yearly explosion of fish, etc.
Comment by chipshot at 02/12/2024 at 02:10 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
People are people. Same as high school. You want to be friends with some people. You dislike other people. Murder between clans. Sex between clans. Fights. Sharing the odd hunt or meal. Some people are loners. Some not.
Think about your social skills and how you get on with others. That's exactly how it worked.