Neanderthal Man is traditionally seen as a sluggish, lumpen, moronic brute — yet he was nothing of the kind.

Neanderthal Man is traditionally seen as a sluggish, lumpen, moronic brute — yet he was nothing of the kind.

The prejudice dates back to early last century when scientists wrongly reconstructed a Neanderthal skeleton to show it slouching along with its knees bent.

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In fact, Neanderthal Man walked fully upright.

His brain was bigger than ours and he showed cultural sophistication far in advance of his traditional image.

That said, he died out around 30,000 years ago, probably unable to compete with the more adaptable and skilled Homo Sapiens, with whom he shared the planet for many thousands of years. This may have been due to an ability to develop language.

Neanderthals were named after the Neander Valley in Germany (“thal” is German for valley), where their fossils were first found in 1856.

A genetic test carried out on those fossils in 1997 proves their DNA differs fundamentally from ours. But further genetic research in 2011 revealed that most modern humans outside sub-Saharan Africa DO have a small percentage of Neanderthal DNA, proving Neanderthals interbred with Homo Sapiens.

It is now thought that both species began to evolve as separate lines 600,000 years ago from Homo Heidelbergensis, the descendant of Homo Erectus.

Neanderthals are among the most well-studied of the early humans, partly because they lived relatively recently and also because they habitually lived in limestone caves, which preserve bones well.

The earliest known Neanderthal dates back about 300,000 years, some 100,000 before the first modern humans.

They lived over a widespread area from western Europe to central Asia and, compared with their predecessors, were highly advanced.

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They were the first humans to bury their dead.

Artefacts found in the graves have led to speculation that they had a religion, though this is hotly debated.

Neanderthals made basic stone tools and spears and could make fire. They adorned themselves with simple pendants.

Short, stocky and immensely strong, they were perfectly built to conserve heat in the harsh conditions of the Ice Age.

Males averaged 5ft 5ins but weighed 1851b. Females averaged 5ft and weighed 1761b. They had low foreheads, large noses, jutting brows and a bony arch over each eye

Their skeletons were heavier than those of modern humans.

Their shoulders were broad, their chests large and their arms, legs, hands and feet extremely powerful.

Around 80,000 BC, modern humans emerged from Africa and over the next 50,000 years spread north into the Middle East, Asia and Europe where the Neanderthals lived.

More resourceful than the Neanderthals, they were more able to adapt to different climates and thus to spread further afield.

They hunted and gathered food more efficiently and formed larger social groups.

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There is no evidence that they actively hunted Neanderthals to extinction. Studies of Neanderthal behaviour seem to point to a species simply unable to cope with the competition.

Planning, thought and communication are not thought to have been their strong points.

They lived in small groups on a meagre and very limited diet almost entirely of meat.

Their hunting seems to have been opportunistic, and lacking organised systems used by the modern humans.

And while they could make and control fire, their hearths were too shallow to sustain it to keep them warm throughout a night.

As a result a Neanderthal’s life was harsh. All adult skeletons have signs of serious injury.

The majority have evidence of malnutrition. Life expectancy was under 40.

Perhaps the modern humans’ greatest advantage over the Neanderthals was the power of speech.

Complex language — enabling Homo Sapiens to plan ahead, warn others of danger and form social groups and relationships — developed only in the last 100,000 years.

It is argued, although disputed, that the Neanderthals were simply incapable of it.