Spikins, Penny orcid.org/0000-0002-9174-5168, Needham, Andrew, Wright, Barry John Debenham orcid.org/0000-0002-8692-6001 et al. (3 more authors) (2019) Living to fight another day:The ecological and evolutionary significance of Neanderthal healthcare. Quaternary Science Reviews. pp. 98-118. ISSN 0277-3791
Abstract
Evidence of care for the ill and injured amongst Neanderthals, inferred through skeletal evidence for survival from severe illness and injury, is widely accepted. However, healthcare practices have been viewed primarily as an example of complex cultural behaviour, often discussed alongside symbolism or mortuary practices. Here we argue that care for the ill and injured is likely to have a long evolutionary history and to have been highly effective in improving health and reducing mortality risks. Healthcare provisioning can thus be understood alongside other collaborative ‘risk pooling’ strategies such as collaborative hunting, food sharing and collaborative parenting. For Neanderthals in particular the selective advantages of healthcare provisioning would have been elevated by a variety of ecological conditions which increased the risk of injury as well their particular behavioural adaptations which affected the benefits of promoting survival from injury and illness. We argue that healthcare provisioning was not only a more significant evolutionary adaptation than has previously been acknowledged, but moreover may also have been essential to Neanderthal occupation at the limits of the North Temperate Zone.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | Crown Copyright © 2018 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Neanderthal,INJURY,mortality risk,Healthcare,palaeopathology,MEDICINE,Medicine,Palaeopathology,Hunting practices,Mortality risk,Injury |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Archaeology (York) The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Hull York Medical School (York) The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Biology (York) The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Health Sciences (York) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number JOHN TEMPLETON FOUNDATION UNSPECIFIED |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 14 Aug 2018 10:30 |
Last Modified: | 31 Jan 2025 00:07 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.08.011 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.08.011 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:134559 |
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