ch 8: This chapter reviews evidence associated with the Neanderthals, extinct hominins who lived in Europe and Western Asia before humans settled these regions after 40–50 Ka. It compares evidence for Neanderthals’ survival strategies with those Ancient Africans practiced. Many of the differences between Neanderthals and Ancient Africans seem to have arisen from Neanderthals’ living in small, highly mobile groups and from their investing less time and energy in technology.

ch 9: This chapter reviews how humans settled Northern Eurasia between 12 and 45 Ka, comparing their survival strategies with those Neanderthals deployed under similar circumstances. Both hominins shared the same suite of ancestral survival skills, but they used them differently and in distinctive ways. Humans devised calorie-conserving superior insulation from cold (clothing, artificial shelters) and innovative strategies for extracting calories from plant food–impoverished landscapes. They used artifacts as “social media” to create and maintain extensive alliance networks, a strategy that resonates with contemporary audiences but also one with deep roots among ancestral survival skills.