What effect did religion have on man's interactions with Neanderthals?

An interesting article in the Arizona Daily Star: http://azstarnet.com/article_61f99ebf-1d83-51ee-a010-75d9a036d002.html

The article describes a study that indicates ancient man interbred with other, now extinct, human species.

It got me thinking about how developed the ideas and language of the various human species were. Was there effective cross-species communication? Did the interbreeding take place by force or natural attraction? And, what were the spiritual aspects of their belief systems?

Was this before man started speaking on behalf of his god to others? Or, were the gods still mysterious beings beyond the imaginations of men? Were there any reservations within the community when Johnny Human brought home Neanderthal Jane to meet the folks? Did their reservations get expressed in terms of what the gods would think?

What are your thoughts?

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Permalink Reply by Mister Mister on September 18, 2011 at 8:56pm

At the time, there were some items found in burials, so there may have been some form of religion, but I doubt it is anything passed anamitism or animism.

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Permalink Reply by Thaddeus Dombrowski on September 27, 2011 at 1:54am

Yes. I remember reading how at least one Neanderthal burial site showed evidence that the body was buried with flowers. (There was an inordinate amount of pollen found with the body, which was left in a cave.) Whether leaving flowers implies religion, or merely human emotion and cognition, is debatable, though. You may be referring to other items found in burials.

I'm wondering more about the ability of the two species to communicate, and how the respective communities viewed the outsiders in their midst.