General Meeting, March 21, 2015 – Neanderthal Intelligence & the Mousterian Tardition
HCAA GENERAL MEETING, March 21, 2015, 12:30pm
Lecture Title:
“Neanderthal Intelligence and the Mousterian Tradition: Middle Stone Age Tools and Neanderthal Survival”
Speaker: Dr. Craig Mayer, President, Vinovium Partners
Location: Riverside Nature Center –
150 Francisco Lemos, Kerrville, Texas 78028
Abstract:
Craig’s talk will be: “Neanderthal Intelligence and the Mousterian Tradition: Middle Stone Age Tools and Neanderthal Survival”. This presentation will focus on Neanderthal tool development and the keen intelligence needed to create such sophisticated tools, with particular emphasis on the Mousterian Tradition and Levallois technique. He will also touch on the highly influential French archaeologist, Francois Bordes, and his Paleolithic tool typology. The talk will compare Mousterian flake tools with Aurignacian blade tools (a tradition used by fully modern forms of people, i.e., Homo Sapiens) and will review the climatic conditions in which Neanderthals lived and their adaptations to varying climatic conditions and environments over several hundred thousand years.
Bio:
DR. CRAIG MAYER started his career as an Associate Professor teaching anthropology/archaeology at SMU. Mayer holds a BA and MA in Anthropology from SMU and a Diploma in Archaeology (MA equivalent) from Durham University in England. Currently he works in information technology and building the Texas wine industry as president of Vinovium Partners.
