Archaeologists tend to agree that modern humans and Neanderthals inhabited Europe at around the same time. But Europe is a big place, and specialists still struggle to answer questions about when and where these two species interacted with one another.
A new study in Scientific Reports now addresses several of these questions. Analyzing over 60 ancient artifacts crafted by both Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis, the study finds that these species likely lived together in a swath of France and Spain for about 1,400 to 2,900 years. Adding color to the current scientific understandings of the two species, the study could indicate that the hominids of the region traded their ideas and toolmaking strategies.
