Name: 關於尼安德塔人，最常見的迷思破解！- Bruce Hardy (The biggest myths about Neanderthals - Bruce Hardy)
Uploaded: 2026-02-17T22:33:16.000Z
Duration: 7 min 10 s

In 1856, quarriers working a cave in Germany's Neander Valley discovered several mysterious fossils.

1856年，德國尼安德谷（Neander Valley）一處洞穴的採石工人發現了幾塊神祕的化石。

The remains changed hands until being identified as the skullcap and femur bones of something ancient and human, but

這些遺骸輾轉易手，最後被辨識出是屬於某種古老人類的顱骨和股骨，但

It soon became clear they belonged to an extinct human species, the first ever known to science.

很快就清楚，牠們屬於一種已滅絕的人類物種，是科學上已知的第一種。

Homo neanderthalensis, or simply Neanderthals.

智人尼安德塔人，或簡稱尼安德塔人。

Not long before the discovery, many believed the world was only about 6,000 years old.

在這項發現前不久，許多人認為世界只有大約6000年的歷史。

However, by the mid-1800s, naturalists were more comfortable with geological timelines and evolutionary theory.

然而，到了1800年代中期，博物學家對地質時間尺度和演化論已較為接受。

The idea that ancient remains could belong to another human species was finally becoming conceivable.

古老遺骸可能屬於另一種人類物種的想法，終於變得可以想像。

But misconceptions persisted and much nyanda slander ensued.

但誤解依然存在，也產生了許多對尼安德塔人的誹謗。

Early on, Neanderthals were depicted as dim witted oafs who died out because of their inferiority to modern humans, AKA Homo sapiens.

起初，尼安德塔人被描繪成頭腦簡單的笨蛋，因為不如現代人類（也就是智人）而滅絕。

One popular illustration suggested that in addition to being hairy and club carrying, Neanderthals stooped and had ape like opposable toes, even though this wasn't reflected in skeletal findings.

一個廣受歡迎的插畫描繪，除了毛髮濃密、手持棍棒外，尼安德塔人還會彎腰駝背，腳趾像猿猴一樣可以對握，儘管這與骨骼發現並不相符。

Over the next century, however, archaeologists discovered more hominin species as well as the remains of over 300 Neanderthal individuals.

然而，在接下來的一個世紀裡，考古學家發現了更多的人科動物物種，以及超過300位尼安德塔人的遺骸。

Compared to modern humans, Neanderthals had larger, deeper set eyes, were shorter and more muscular, had higher caloric needs with slightly bigger bodies, including their hearts and brains.

與現代人類相比，尼安德塔人有著更大、更深陷的眼睛，身材較矮壯，肌肉更發達，由於身體稍微較大，包括心臟和腦部，是以需要更高的熱量。

For over 350,000 years, they lived across Europe and western Asia.

他們在歐洲和西亞生活了超過35萬年。

For at least their final 10,000 years, they spatially overlapped with Homo sapiens, and

在他們最後的至少1萬年裡，他們與智人有地理上的重疊，而且

archaeological finds have suggested that they led much more complex lives than initially suspected.

考古發現顯示，他們的生活比最初懷疑的要複雜得多。

In the 1950s, scientists unearthed the remains of a Neanderthal in a cave in northern Iraq who had a severed right arm, injured leg and was likely partially blind and deaf.

在1950年代，科學家在伊拉克北部的一個洞穴中，發掘出一具尼安德塔人的遺骸，他右臂被砍斷，腿部受傷，很可能部分失明失聰。

Yet he survived long after these injuries, suggesting his community provided him extensive daily support.

然而，他在這些傷勢後仍然存活了很久，這表明他的社群為他提供了 extensive 的日常照護。

And another skeleton from a French cave belonged to an older Neanderthal who probably had trouble walking and had lost so many teeth he may have needed his food ground up.

另外一個來自法國洞穴的骨骼，屬於一位年長的尼安德塔人，他可能走路有困難，而且掉了許多牙齒，食物可能需要先磨碎。

Both excavation sites also showed signs of burial, all suggesting that Neanderthals went beyond immediate practical concerns for survival and cared for their ailing and dead teeth.

這兩個挖掘地點都顯示有埋葬的跡象，這些都暗示著尼安德塔人不僅僅是為了眼前的生存需求，也會照顧生病和死去的同伴。

Analysis also indicate that Neanderthals might have used anti inflammatory and antibiotic plants medicinally.

分析也顯示，尼安德塔人可能藥用抗發炎和抗生素植物。

For a while, researchers assumed that Neanderthals hunted big game with unsophisticated brute, brute force ambush attacks.

有一段時間，研究人員認為尼安德塔人是靠著原始的、蠻力伏擊來獵捕大型動物。

But cut marks on rabbit bones and tools with apparent traces of scales and feathers suggest Neanderthals were capable of the skill required to capture small game, perhaps utilizing snares and fast moving projectiles.

但兔子骨頭上的切割痕跡，以及帶有鱗片和羽毛痕跡的工具，顯示尼安德塔人有能力捕捉小型獵物，可能使用陷阱和快速移動的投射物。

In fact, we know they fashioned and wielded many types of tools, sometimes affixing them with glue they made from heated birch bark.

事實上，我們知道他們製作並使用了許多種類的工具，有時會用加熱樺樹皮製作的膠水將它們固定。

They also shaped hardwood digging sticks with fire and created reinforced 3 ply string using bark fibers.

他們還用火來塑形硬木挖掘棒，並用樹皮纖維製作了加固的三層編織繩。

Other findings have also raised questions about whether Neanderthals fought symbolically, seeing beyond direct utility into realms like art and language, long considered a hallmark of Homo sapiens.

其他發現也引發了關於尼安德塔人是否進行象徵性戰鬥的疑問，他們是否超越了直接的實用性，進入了藝術和語言等領域，而這些長期以來被認為是智人的標誌。

Potentially for personal adornment, there's evidence of Neanderthals selectively removing birds flight feathers, painting and perforating shells, and

可能用於個人裝飾，有證據顯示尼安德塔人會選擇性地移除鳥類的飛羽，塗色並鑽孔貝殼，以及

wrapping eagle talons in what seems to have been another kind of animal tissue.

用另一種動物組織包裹老鷹的爪子。

They likewise made markings on a giant elk's toe bone and created three cave paintings in Spain, if the original 65,000 year old dating estimate holds.

他們也在一塊巨型麋鹿的趾骨上做記號，並在西班牙創作了三幅洞穴壁畫，如果最初估計的六萬五千年前的年代是準確的話。

Meanwhile, broken, rearranged and burned stalagmites deep within a French cave left scientists wondering if the mysterious structures held spiritual or ceremonial significance to Neanderthals.

同時，法國一處洞穴深處被破壞、重新排列和燃燒過的鐘乳石，讓科學家們猜測這些神祕的結構是否對尼安德塔人具有精神或儀式上的意義。

Clearly they weren't as different as originally believed.

很明顯，他們不像最初認為的那樣有那麼大的差異。

And following the first fully sequenced neanderthal genome in 2010, researchers realized our species interbred.

而在 2010 年首度完整定序了尼安德塔人基因組之後，研究人員發現我們的物種曾經發生過基因交流。

All modern humans retain some Neanderthal DNA, up to about 4%, the result of hundreds of discrete interbreeding events.

所有現代人類都保留了一些尼安德塔人的 DNA，比例高達約 4%，這是數百次獨立基因交流事件的結果。

那麼，尼安德塔人到底發生了什麼事呢？

Theories from rampant cannibalism to disease and climate change to aggressive Homo sapiens have been floated.

有理論認為是普遍的食人行為、疾病、氣候變遷，甚至是智人（Homo sapiens）的攻擊。

But another idea is that because Neanderthals lived in smaller groups as they interbred with larger populations of Homo sapiens, they just sort of got gradually absorbed.

但另一種說法是，因為尼安德塔人與人數較多的智人（Homo sapiens）群體進行基因交流，他們是以較小的群體生活，所以漸漸地被同化了。

Overall consensus has begun shifting away from representing human evolution as tree like and more towards a kind of braided stream with different hominin groups separating and rejoining at various junctures.

整體共識已經開始從將人類演化描繪成樹狀結構，轉變為一種辮狀溪流，不同的「人科動物」（hominin）群體在不同節點分開又重新匯合。

As we continue to learn more about our evolutionary cousins, each discovery raises questions about just how much we share.

隨著我們對這些演化上的表親有更多瞭解，每一次的發現都引發了關於我們共享多少特質的疑問。

If you enjoy learning about history, subscribe to this channel, because the lessons of yesterday can help us face the challenges of today.

如果你喜歡學習歷史，請訂閱這個頻道，因為昨天的經驗能幫助我們面對今天的挑戰。