Re: Neanderthal and PIE

Also, the Neanderthals died out and were not the ancestors of
> any humans living today, and I think there is some evidence that
> the Neanderthals were not fully sapient and probably did not
> speak a language of the same kind as the languages known to us.
>
> ... brought to you by the Weeping Elf
>
Actually, recent research on Neanderthal DNA shows that they had a version
of the FOX2P gene very similar to ours, and they also had slightly larger
brains than ours. So, I think it's entirely possible that they had some
communicative ability; what the extent was can never be truly known, though.
As for not being fully sapient, again I think that's arguable; they buried
their dead with grave goods, after all, and some have been found with
decorative items suggesting some culture.

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- Rhamantus