About 400,000 – 40,000 years ago, the Homo Neanderthals survived for around 300,000 years and were discovered in 1829. They originally lived in Europe and southwestern to central Asia, then cold steppe environments in England and Siberia about 60,000 years ago, and finally in warm temperate woodlands in Spain and Italy about 120,000 years ago. Some defining features of Homo Neanderthals were their skulls which included the large middle part of the face, angled cheek bones, and a huge nose for humidifying and warming cold, dry air. Their Bodies were shorter and stockier, another adaptation they developed from living in cold environments. Their brains were just as large as ours, often larger in cases – proportional to their brawnier bodies. 

Since they were skilled hunters of large animals, their diet consisted of those animals as well as plant foods. They would often feast on seafood and nuts. Technology of the Homo Neanderthals included blades, scrapers, and single-edged hand axes which were made through the use of a diverse set of sophisticated tools made out of stone. Sometimes whole stones were used and carved into the needed tool; other times a “flake,” or a portion of a rock chipped off from the original rock. Flint was one of the most commonly used types of stone which were used to create sharp-edged tools which allowed them to manipulate their environment, adapt to different ecosystems, and maintain their livelihoods for as long as they did.