Final answer:
Recent research shows that Neanderthals were intelligent, with complex social behaviors and an advanced tool-making industry. They were not dim-witted nor simple, but rather a species with strong survival skills and cognitive abilities.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept that Neanderthals were "dim-witted and simple" has been largely debunked in recent scholarly research. Contrary to the outdated stereotype, Neanderthals were advanced in many ways, demonstrating significant cognitive skills and material culture. Homo neanderthalensis, commonly referred to as Neanderthals, lived in Europe and western Asia between approximately 200,000 and 30,000 years ago, evolving from Homo erectus.
Neanderthals were well-adapted to their environment, with a sturdy, stocky build and a brain volume equal to or even larger than that of modern humans. They were adept at using fire, hunted large game, used body paints, and buried their dead—practices indicative of complex social behaviors and traditions. The Mousterian tool industry associated with Neanderthals included the creation of flake tools that were sharper and had more utility than earlier Acheulian tools. The fact that they mated with modern humans, sharing DNA, further illustrates their complex societal interactions.
In summary, the reduction of Neanderthals to a caricature of primitiveness is not supported by the latest archaeological and genetic evidence. Instead, Neanderthals were a highly adaptive, intelligent species that made significant contributions to the human evolutionary journey.