Page:A Short History of the World.djvu/68

48 A Short History of The World twigs and roots. His level elaborate teeth suggest a largely vege- tarian dietary. But we also find the long marrow bones of great animals in his caves, cracked to extract the marrow. His weapons could not have been of much avail in open conflict with great beasts, but it is supposed that he attacked them with spears at difficult river crossings and even constructed pitfalls for them. Possibly be followed the herds and preyed upon any dead that were killed in fights, and perhaps he played the part of jackal to the sabre- toothed tiger which still survived in his day. Possibly in the bitter hardships of the Glacial Ages this creature had taken to attacking animals after long ages of vegetarian adaptation. We cannot guess what this Neanderthal man looked like. He may have been very hairy and very inhuman-looking indeed. It is even doubtful if he went erect. He may have used his knuckles as well as his feet to hold himself up. Probably he went about alone or in small family groups. It is inferred from the structure of his jaw that he was incapable of speech as we understand it. For thousands of years these Neanderthalers were the highest animals that the European area had ever seen ; and then some thirty