Neanderthals and modern man shared a cave

The first certain proof that Neanderthal man and modern humans coexisted in Europe has emerged from a cave in central France. Radiocarbon dates show that modern people camped in the Châtelperron cave, 25 miles northeast of Vichy, about 40,000 years ago, preceded and then followed by two episodes of Neanderthal occupancy.

The differing occupations are demonstrated by their distinctive stone tools: those of the Neanderthals, known as Mousterian after the Dordogne site where they were first recognised, are made mainly from flint flakes. The Aurignacian toolkit of Homo sapiens sapiens uses parallel-sided blades, prised off the flint core in a more complex manufacturing sequence that allows better use of raw materials.

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