Global Risks by Dr. Ziva Rozen-Bakher

Global Risks Aims to Stimulate Thinking ‘Out of the Box’ about Ongoing Global Problems that Have No Clear Solutions.

Global Risks by Dr. Ziva Rozen-Bakher https://www.rozen-bakher.com/forum

**Dr. Ziva Rozen-Bakher**

**Researcher in International Relations with a Focus on Security, Political and Economic Risks for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and International Trade**

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Why Neanderthals’ Population has started to reduce in Europe at around 50,000 BP until their full Extinction around 25,000 BP?

The literature provides many explanations for the extinction of the Neanderthals, such as natural disasters and climate change, despite that Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals shared the same environment in Europe and even the same caves at the same period of time, which leads to the mystery of the Neanderthals’ Extinction. However, none of the extinction’s explanations focuses on the Neanderthals’ International Trade. On the one hand, the international trade of Neanderthals highlights their intelligence ability, but on the other, it may give an alternative explanation for their extinction.

Alternative Explanation for Neanderthals’ Extinction due to International Trade

Advantages versus Disadvantages of International Trade

Advantages: Obtaining products and raw materials that are lacking in the home locations.
Disadvantages: Spreading ‘problems’ via the mechanism of International Trade, such as spreading ‘bad products’ that can lead to regional disappointment or spreading ‘bad raw materials’ that have bad health implications, as well as spreading illness, disease or pandemics via the ‘Trade Persons’ that move from one location to another.

Neanderthals’ International Trade before 250,000 to 50,000 years ago (Middle Palaeolithic)

Neanderthals’ International Trade was carried out from Greece to other European countries (see Map 1 below) during the Middle Palaeolithic to obtain ‘Cutting Stone Tools of Obsidian’ (Obsidian-Volcanic Glass) from the Greek Volcanic Island, Melos, because the Obsidian material was available only in the area of Melos, Greece. For example, Neanderthals obtained stone tools of Obsidian from Greece, which is thousands of km away from their Home Cave Location in France, because cutting tools and scrapers of Obsidian are much sharper and stronger than regular stone tools that were available outside Greece. However, the distance of this Trade Route was challenging because it was around 3,000 KM distance by foot from the home cage in France (see Map 2 below). Likely that the Trade Route was passed via several caves that were on the route from Melos, Greece, to Dordogne, France, such as Lakonis, Morfi, Krapina, Fumane, and Moula-Guercy (Ardèche). Importantly, it’s possible that the same ‘Trade Person’ took the Obsidian tools all along the Trade Route, although more likely that the Obsidian tools were passed from one ‘Cave Trade’ to another ‘Cave Trade’ along the Trade Route by different ‘Trade Persons’.

Map 1. Neanderthals’ Caves in Europe and Asia

Map 2. The Trade Route from Melos, Greece, to Dordogne, France, via likely several caves, such as Lakonis, Morfi, Krapina, Fumane, and Moula-Guercy

The Intelligence that is needed for Carrying Out International Trade

Are there better products compared to what I have today?
What are the advantages of these better products compared to what I have today?
Where could I obtain these better products?
What are the resources needed to obtain these better products?
How long will it take to obtain these better products?
What is the plan to obtain these better products?
When should I implement the planning to obtain these better products?
Who will obtain these better products – I or others for me?
When will I get these better products?
Is it possible to create a cycle time to obtain again and again these better products?

Neanderthals Versus Homo Sapiens Sapiens

Neanderthals lived mainly in Europe, yet in some areas in Asia from around 250,000 to 25,000 BP, while ‘Homo Sapiens Sapiens’ evolved from around 160,000 to 90,000 BP, yet they only arrived in Europe around 45,000 BP. However, very limited fossils of ‘Homo Sapiens Sapiens’ were found from the Middle Palaeolithic compared to fossils of Neanderthals, so it is difficult to compare Neanderthals to ‘Homo Sapiens Sapiens’ during the critical period of 100,000 to 50,000 BC, when Neanderthals began the process of extinction around 50,000 BC, and by the time their absolute numbers began to decline until they became extinct.
Neanderthals have a bigger brain compared to Homo Sapiens.
Neanderthals have a bigger nose, bigger Lungs and a heavier body compared to ‘Homo Sapiens Sapiens’, while ‘Homo Sapiens Sapiens’ are taller than Neanderthals.

Alternative Explanations for Neanderthals’ extinction due to International Trade

Option I. Spreading Illness/Disease/Pandemic via International Trade. It is possible that Trade Persons spread illness, disease, or even pandemics via Trade Persons that move from one cave to another in order to distribute the Obsidian cutting tools, which may lead to negative health implications in the long run. However, in the case of a flu pandemic, we may need to take into account that the body parts of Neanderthals differ from ‘Homo Sapiens Sapiens’, such as the nose and the lungs of the Neanderthals that were bigger compared to the ‘Homo Sapiens Sapiens’. A bigger nose and bigger lungs may be more vulnerable to a flu pandemic compared to the smaller ones that ‘Homo Sapiens Sapiens’ have.
Option II. Spreading the Obsidian (Volcanic glass) as a ‘bad material’ via International Trade. It is also possible that the Neanderthals’ International Trade led to the spread of a ‘bad raw material’ that may create bad health implications in the long run. Neanderthals put efforts into obtaining Obsidian tools that were used for many tasks, including for cutting food. However, Obsidian blades are prohibited for use on humans by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) due to the negative implications of the volcanic glass on human health. Hence, it is likely that the volcanic glass enters the Neanderthals’ food, which may lead to long-term negative health implications for the whole Neanderthal population. Besides, holding volcanic glass in hands for many hours may even lead to injuries in hands during working with the Obsidian tools, which may also create long-term negative health implications. Given that, if the whole Neanderthal population used the obsidian tools for many generations, then it’s likely that it’s led to negative impacts on the health of the entire Neanderthal population and even on fertility.

Summary: It is unclear if the Obsidian leads to health problems among Neanderthals, and even if Yes, then it is unclear if it leads to their extinction, yet it may be worth investigating this alternative explanation. Hence, the mystery of Neanderthals’ extinction may stay with us forever, yet the international trade explanation highlights the risk of globalisation in terms of spreading problems via global networking. Thereby, globalisation has ample advantages, yet it has the risk of spreading negative problems. No clear solutions.

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