Neanderthal Update -- Victims of Free Trade

It is always interesting for an historian to view the shifting state of theory in fields of study where evidence is sparse and entire theoretical structures must be built mainly on inference and surmise. Such a discipline is physical anthropology, particularly that which deals with culture-bearing forms of humanity, such as Neanderthal Man.

I have only been blogging for less than three months, but already in that time I have posted on four or five distinct theories, published in the lay press, regarding Neanderthals and their relation to Homo Sapiens Sapiens. What is fascinating is the extent to which theoretical constructs mirror the day's social and cultural concerns. Witness this speculation on why Neanderthals were displaced by Modern Humans.

Newswise reports a study by economists out of the University of Wyoming arguing that "free trade" drove Neanderthals to extinction.

Creating a new kind of caveman economics in their published paper, [the economists] argue early modern humans were first to exploit the competitive edge gained from specialization and free trade. With more reliance on free trade, humans increased their activities in culture and technology, while simultaneously out-competing Neanderthals on their joint hunting grounds, the economists say.

So we're back to competition for scarce resources again -- this time with the contemporary twist of "free-trade" imagery. Read the whole thing here.

Whatever you think of the article's conclusions, it does make an important point. Economic functions such as trade and specialization of labor did operate in and influence the development of all human societies, however ancient.