Final answer:
Neanderthals did bury their dead, often with artifacts, although the complexity of such burials varied. They had the FOXP2 gene linked to language but may not have had the anatomy for complex speech. They were adept tool users and made advanced flake tools in the Mousterian tool industry.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Neanderthals were a species closely related to modern humans but are often misunderstood in terms of their cultural and cognitive capabilities. Contrary to some beliefs, Neanderthals did bury their dead and there is evidence to suggest that these burials included artifacts. In some cases, graves have been found with bodies covered in red ochre, and accompanied by items such as beads made from mammoth ivory and fox teeth, although most burial sites discovered have been relatively simple.
Regarding Neanderthal communication, the evidence is mixed. Some argue that Neanderthals lacked the complex language of modern Homo sapiens, partly due to anatomical differences in the throat and vocal apparatus, although they did possess the FOXP2 gene associated with language comprehension. However, there is no definitive evidence that they could or could not produce complex speech.
Neanderthals were tool users and creators, involved in the Middle Paleolithic Mousterian tool industry. They developed advanced flake tools by striking flakes off cores, which allowed for more precise and diverse tools compared to previous hominins. The assumption that Neanderthals did not use tools is incorrect; they crafted diverse implements and their technological skills were more advanced than those of Homo erectus.
Additionally, researchers have considered the possibility that Neanderthals created musical instruments, but this remains a hypothesis with minimal direct evidence. Nonetheless, the sophistication of Neanderthal culture is increasingly recognized and the simplistic view of them as brute primitives is being revised as more archaeological findings come to light.