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Them and Us: How Neanderthal predation created modern humans
Put aside everything you thought you knew about being human - about how we got here and what it all means. After five years of rigorous scientific research, Danny Vendramini has developed a theory of human origins that is stunning in its simplicity, yet breathtaking in its scope and importance.Them and Us begins with a radical reassessment of Neanderthal behavioral ecology. He cites new archaeological and genetic evidence to show they weren't docile omnivores, but savage, cannibalistic carnivores - top flight predators of the stone age.Neanderthal Predation (NP) theory reveals that Neanderthals were 'apex' predators - who resided at the top of the food chain, and everything else - including humans - was their prey.NP theory is one of those groundbreaking ideas that revolutionizes scientific thinking. It represents a quantum leap in our understanding of human origins.A leading authority on Eurasian Neanderthals, Professor John Shea from Stony Brook University in New York, said, “Vendramini presents a truly unique and innovative picture of the role of Neanderthal predation in human evolution. He pulls together countless different threads of scientific evidence to re-cast Neanderthals as ‘apex predators’, proverbial ‘wolves with knives’ who were effective rivals with our ancestors.. It has been a long time since I read a book about human evolution that I enjoyed so much.”Professor Tony McMichael, from The Australian National University, said Vendramini’s Neanderthal predation theory “offers innovative insight into the many things about 'us' that we might otherwise take for granted.”Harvard Archaeologist and Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of New England, Professor Iain Davidson, another advocate of Vendramini’s revolutionary theory “Sometimes it takes an outsider to cut through the most intractable problems in science. That is what Vendramini's approach offers the reader in his daring claims about the interactions between humans and their most famous evolutionary relatives, the Neanderthals.” A major point of Vendramini's 2009 theory - that Eurasian Neanderthals abducted, raped and interbred with early humans in the Middle East was confirmed in 2010 by the publication of the 'Draft Sequence of the Neanderthal Genome' which showed that Neanderthals had interbred with early humans from the Middle East at precisely the time that Vendramini theorized.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
71 people are currently reading
408 people want to read
About the author
Danny Vendramini
2 books6 followersDanny Vendramini was born in Alice Springs, in the Australian outback. He had successful careers in a number of fields - as a theatre director, TV producer and award-winning film director and scriptwriter - before turning to evolutionary biology.
As an atheist and Darwinian scholar, Vendramini's work is anchored in evidence based research and deduction, but ultimately it is his artistic imagination and scientific creativity that distinguishes his evolutionary theories.
He is a member of the Independent Scholars Association of Australia Inc, lives in Sydney, and is married to the writer Rosie Scott. They have two daughters, Josie, a journalist, filmmaker and actor; and Bella, actor and bestselling author of 'Biting the Big Apple'.
As an atheist and Darwinian scholar, Vendramini's work is anchored in evidence based research and deduction, but ultimately it is his artistic imagination and scientific creativity that distinguishes his evolutionary theories.
He is a member of the Independent Scholars Association of Australia Inc, lives in Sydney, and is married to the writer Rosie Scott. They have two daughters, Josie, a journalist, filmmaker and actor; and Bella, actor and bestselling author of 'Biting the Big Apple'.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 23, 2013
I read this book twice in three days, I finished it in one night and then re-read it over the next day in between reading as much other scientific material as I could about anthropology and human origins. What I can say is this: even though Vendramini is not a scientist trained in the field, he clearly demonstrates his competence and command of knowledge about the field. His basic theory being that the unique and atypical traits that set humans apart from all other primates are the result of an evolutionary bottleneck that occurred in the Near East around 110-45,000 years ago as a result of primitive early humans encounter with a highly intelligent predatory hominid; the Neanderthal. Vendramini backs up his claim with what is without question the most accurate depiction of the Neanderthal to date. Vendramini analyzes the research of the top scientists working in the field to show that Neanderthals were not the very human-like gentle noble savages as portrayed in television documentaries, but in reality a highly intelligent very ape-like predators. He then explains how Neanderthal Predation shaped the development of human psychology and how it continues to do so today long after our own forbears drove the Neanderthals to extinction. Vendramini's multidisciplinary approach is astounding. I will admit to reservations and doubts regarding some aspects of the Predation Theory, but on the whole I think this work is a must read for anyone interested in human origins and should not be rejected without thoughtful consideration of the painstaking research Mr. Vendramini has done. Read this book, you will not be disappointed.
July 18, 2014
For starters, I really can't remember any other book that I've read in recent memory that at first held so much promise, and I initially enjoyed reading so very much, that by the 65% mark had started sounding so totally like a pseudo-scientific broken record. Author Danny Vendramini's fervent assertion that Neanderthals most likely looked quite different from the way they've been portrayed in scientific circles for many years now, is actually what originally attracted me to read Them and Us. So naturally, there was at first quite a big payoff in reading this book - because the first 2/3 is mostly pretty compelling stuff.
Granted, I'm not an expert, but I'd wager that much of the scientific meat of Them and Us could probably be gleaned from reading a few well chosen Wikipedia articles about evolution and early human and Neanderthal anthropology. But then you'd have to know what to look for, and you wouldn't get Vendramini's two big claims to scientific fame. The first is that he apparently thinks his vaunted "NP (Neanderthal Predation) theory" explains just about everything, and secondly, he posits that, in addition to Darwin's theory of evolution, "a second evolutionary process also exists that regulates the evolution of innate behaviours, instincts and emotions in multicellular animals."
First off, NP theory can be summed up pretty much like so: Neanderthals, despite being shorter than their prehistoric hominid counterparts (us), were actually physically more imposing, with a heavy bone structure topped off by an exceptionally large skull. However, even though they were great with a spear, they definitely weren't like US. No way, Jose! Nope! Never! Neanderthals weren't the mostly hairless, animal skin wearing cousins of early humans that they've long been depicted to have been, but rather, they were a vicious apex predator that swept down from their Ice Age European and Eurasian homelands to terrorize the Skhul and Qafzeh hominids (our ancestors) who inhabited the Levant. In other words, they were hairy, scary, sexually voracious upright walking primates who hunted, raped, killed and just generally predated early humans to almost total extinction.
Okay. Easy. Got it. So, according to Vendramini's NP theory, WE were the hunted. IN THE BEGINNING, we humans were so docile and herbivorous that we were unable to defend ourselves from the brutish, carnivorous Neanderthals (who even often ATE us), and our population experienced a "bottleneck," or rather, a near extinction. Therefore, at one point, the evidence strongly suggests, there were as few as 50 to 100 homo sapiens left alive, and the only way that we managed to survive was to jump start our evolution and become hyper intelligent, hyper vigilant, hyper aggressive and truly vengeful early modern humans (Cro-magnons) that spread out across the globe and killed everything and anything in their path that looked or behaved even remotely like those pesky, predatory Neanderthals who'd nearly wiped us all out!
Okay. Up to that point, I was totally with the author. Good stuff. Made complete and total sense to me. The problem is that the last 1/3 of the book started to go dramatically downhill for me. NP theory, the author continually asserts, is such a revolutionary new idea that it pretty much explains... well... JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING ABOUT MODERN HUMAN BEHAVIOR! And I mean EVERY BLESSED THING! Well, not quite everything, but, Verdramini argues, this near extinction event that turned our forebears against their hominid brethren explains why, even after we'd managed to finally exterminate the Neanderthals, we just couldn't call it quits in the killing urge department. Yes, after we'd not only narrowly managed to survive the predation period AND turned the tables on the species that nearly took us all out, we used our newly acquired homicidal urges against one another. And we've been wiping those "others" that we always label "them" out in droves ever since.
Sounds like quite a book, right? And it is! Mostly.
You see, where the author really lost me was when he sorta, kinda, maybe hinted with his numerous examples of bad modern human behaviors, that this NP theory thing is supposedly why there are now Republicans and Democrats. Well, he doesn't mention them exactly, but he does strongly suggest that NP theory is why there are now those righteous ones on the left, and there are those nasty ones on the right. Me? I'm not political and do not enjoy parties, so don't get any funny or adversarial "Them and Us" ideas, buster! You see, I tend to stay the hell away from the polarized fringe thinkers on either side of the political divide (because, call me highly evolved, but I don't really like thinking in "Them and Us" terms most of the time), but the author sure does seem to know a thing or two about the subject. Lots and lots, actually.
Okay. Fine. Basically, for the most part (well, the first 2/3 anyway), Them and Us is a very engrossing, well written, thoroughly researched and well crafted work of modern, more or less scientific thought. The last third gets rather bogged down however, as the author attempts to reinforce his NP theory and ideas about "teemosis" with all sorts of additional examples of how pretty much all forms of human behavior can be traced directly back to the supposition that Them (Neanderthals) originally preyed on Us and forced us to very suddenly evolve into homicidal, predatory maniacs who eventually took over the world.
And what's wrong with all that Neanderthal induced human violence, right? Well, of course that's all bad. Very, very, very bad. So near the end of the book, the author cites former US president George W. Bush (not once but TWICE), Roman Catholics (at least twice) and US involvement in the Vietnam war (more than once, even though Australia, where Vendramini resides AND also South Korea were right there with US - something you can also find out on Wikipedia, by the way) and a slew of other events and people he considers negative in the history of mankind, to bolster his fancy NP theory that... well... the devil (those hairy scary Neanderthals) may have originally made us do it, but them (us Americans) really need to learn how to just tame down, like the English and German troops did for that famous Christmas Truce on Christmas Eve in 1914. Well, that is, before they resumed killing each other en masse for several years after that. But hey! He among us who is without sin, right?
Okay. Fine. Basically, for the first 2/3 of this book, I was thinking five stars, but then Mr. Vendramini sort of came off as rather preachy. Okay. Fine. It's all about Them and Us, right? There are the American English speakers and there are the Commonwealth English speakers. Sort of... US and them. Or them and US. Or something like that. I suppose it depends on where you were born and on just how much you want to paint the United States (or ANY other group of 99.9% genetically similar modern humans) as the bad guy and ignore any and all wrongdoings in British history (even though the United States is obviously an English speaking country that rose to prominence at exactly the same time that the British Empire was waning, and is clearly an extension of globalized British-American civilization). But look at old dopey me! When I shelled out my money for Them and Us, I thought it was a book about Neanderthals, not a pseudo-political sermon. I could handle the sermon, I suppose, but then Vendramini spends much of the last chapter comparing himself to Charles Darwin. And that takes some serious ego there, buddy.
To summarize, there's a lot of interesting content in this book. It's a very fascinating read in many ways, but in other ways it's an over-hyped, ego driven new spin on a lot of scientific data that's already been put forth. That's why Vendramini can put nearly 800 references in his book, you see. The only thing really revolutionary about what he's saying that I can see, is that he thinks that Neanderthals were hair covered and more ape-like than they've been depicted by the scientific community for quite some time now. Cool! I'm down with that! Oh, and also, of course, he's pushing his very possibly, quite astute ideas about "teemosis," or roughly speaking, how predation induced stresses can be passed down to offspring who, despite never encountering the deadly animals that terrorized their ancestors end up having the instinctive fear of those predators literally bred into them. So, the teemosis process is micro-evolutionary, as opposed to macro-evolutionary, in nature. So... if the US is currently an aggressive country (that has troops in many of the places that the British either still do or formerly did have), maybe it's because of the way our ancestors were treated by... them. Hmm.
Nah! See... I like the British. Despite being an American, I actually have Scottish, Irish and Welsh ancestry (and German - those OTHER Vikings who stayed on the other side of the Channel), so sorry, no "Them and Us" mentality for me, brothers and sisters from across the seas! Peace out to you, one and all.
Lastly, a BIGFOOT SIZED word of warning to anyone who might be interested in buying this book because they heard about it on Bigfoot Hotspot Radio (www.blogtalkradio.com/bigfoothotspot). Vendramini does not appear to believe in Sasquatch, Yeti or any of those other bipedal hominds that are still sighted by all sorts of people in various places around the world to this very day. In fact, here's exactly what he has to say about it: "But, while it is amusing to hear that Mesopotamians 4000 years ago believed in a legendary crocodile-like dragon with wings, claws and fiery breath called an Enuma Elish, it is somewhat more disconcerting to realise that up to 3 million Americans believe they have had a personal encounter with an alien. And, despite scientific investigations that have produced not one actual yeti (sic), Sasquatch or abominable snowman, millions of people around the world still firmly believe in their existence."
Schucks! Us Americans is so gullible! Believin' in aliens and all them extant hominids that obviously ain't out there anyways. Thank you, Mr. Vendramini, for enlightening all us poor dumb people. I is ever so grateful that you decided to write your enlightening book. Ta da! Cue the god beams piercing down from the clouds. And then there was light! Vendramini light, that is. All hail the book of Vendramini.
Granted, I'm not an expert, but I'd wager that much of the scientific meat of Them and Us could probably be gleaned from reading a few well chosen Wikipedia articles about evolution and early human and Neanderthal anthropology. But then you'd have to know what to look for, and you wouldn't get Vendramini's two big claims to scientific fame. The first is that he apparently thinks his vaunted "NP (Neanderthal Predation) theory" explains just about everything, and secondly, he posits that, in addition to Darwin's theory of evolution, "a second evolutionary process also exists that regulates the evolution of innate behaviours, instincts and emotions in multicellular animals."
First off, NP theory can be summed up pretty much like so: Neanderthals, despite being shorter than their prehistoric hominid counterparts (us), were actually physically more imposing, with a heavy bone structure topped off by an exceptionally large skull. However, even though they were great with a spear, they definitely weren't like US. No way, Jose! Nope! Never! Neanderthals weren't the mostly hairless, animal skin wearing cousins of early humans that they've long been depicted to have been, but rather, they were a vicious apex predator that swept down from their Ice Age European and Eurasian homelands to terrorize the Skhul and Qafzeh hominids (our ancestors) who inhabited the Levant. In other words, they were hairy, scary, sexually voracious upright walking primates who hunted, raped, killed and just generally predated early humans to almost total extinction.
Okay. Easy. Got it. So, according to Vendramini's NP theory, WE were the hunted. IN THE BEGINNING, we humans were so docile and herbivorous that we were unable to defend ourselves from the brutish, carnivorous Neanderthals (who even often ATE us), and our population experienced a "bottleneck," or rather, a near extinction. Therefore, at one point, the evidence strongly suggests, there were as few as 50 to 100 homo sapiens left alive, and the only way that we managed to survive was to jump start our evolution and become hyper intelligent, hyper vigilant, hyper aggressive and truly vengeful early modern humans (Cro-magnons) that spread out across the globe and killed everything and anything in their path that looked or behaved even remotely like those pesky, predatory Neanderthals who'd nearly wiped us all out!
Okay. Up to that point, I was totally with the author. Good stuff. Made complete and total sense to me. The problem is that the last 1/3 of the book started to go dramatically downhill for me. NP theory, the author continually asserts, is such a revolutionary new idea that it pretty much explains... well... JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING ABOUT MODERN HUMAN BEHAVIOR! And I mean EVERY BLESSED THING! Well, not quite everything, but, Verdramini argues, this near extinction event that turned our forebears against their hominid brethren explains why, even after we'd managed to finally exterminate the Neanderthals, we just couldn't call it quits in the killing urge department. Yes, after we'd not only narrowly managed to survive the predation period AND turned the tables on the species that nearly took us all out, we used our newly acquired homicidal urges against one another. And we've been wiping those "others" that we always label "them" out in droves ever since.
Sounds like quite a book, right? And it is! Mostly.
You see, where the author really lost me was when he sorta, kinda, maybe hinted with his numerous examples of bad modern human behaviors, that this NP theory thing is supposedly why there are now Republicans and Democrats. Well, he doesn't mention them exactly, but he does strongly suggest that NP theory is why there are now those righteous ones on the left, and there are those nasty ones on the right. Me? I'm not political and do not enjoy parties, so don't get any funny or adversarial "Them and Us" ideas, buster! You see, I tend to stay the hell away from the polarized fringe thinkers on either side of the political divide (because, call me highly evolved, but I don't really like thinking in "Them and Us" terms most of the time), but the author sure does seem to know a thing or two about the subject. Lots and lots, actually.
Okay. Fine. Basically, for the most part (well, the first 2/3 anyway), Them and Us is a very engrossing, well written, thoroughly researched and well crafted work of modern, more or less scientific thought. The last third gets rather bogged down however, as the author attempts to reinforce his NP theory and ideas about "teemosis" with all sorts of additional examples of how pretty much all forms of human behavior can be traced directly back to the supposition that Them (Neanderthals) originally preyed on Us and forced us to very suddenly evolve into homicidal, predatory maniacs who eventually took over the world.
And what's wrong with all that Neanderthal induced human violence, right? Well, of course that's all bad. Very, very, very bad. So near the end of the book, the author cites former US president George W. Bush (not once but TWICE), Roman Catholics (at least twice) and US involvement in the Vietnam war (more than once, even though Australia, where Vendramini resides AND also South Korea were right there with US - something you can also find out on Wikipedia, by the way) and a slew of other events and people he considers negative in the history of mankind, to bolster his fancy NP theory that... well... the devil (those hairy scary Neanderthals) may have originally made us do it, but them (us Americans) really need to learn how to just tame down, like the English and German troops did for that famous Christmas Truce on Christmas Eve in 1914. Well, that is, before they resumed killing each other en masse for several years after that. But hey! He among us who is without sin, right?
Okay. Fine. Basically, for the first 2/3 of this book, I was thinking five stars, but then Mr. Vendramini sort of came off as rather preachy. Okay. Fine. It's all about Them and Us, right? There are the American English speakers and there are the Commonwealth English speakers. Sort of... US and them. Or them and US. Or something like that. I suppose it depends on where you were born and on just how much you want to paint the United States (or ANY other group of 99.9% genetically similar modern humans) as the bad guy and ignore any and all wrongdoings in British history (even though the United States is obviously an English speaking country that rose to prominence at exactly the same time that the British Empire was waning, and is clearly an extension of globalized British-American civilization). But look at old dopey me! When I shelled out my money for Them and Us, I thought it was a book about Neanderthals, not a pseudo-political sermon. I could handle the sermon, I suppose, but then Vendramini spends much of the last chapter comparing himself to Charles Darwin. And that takes some serious ego there, buddy.
To summarize, there's a lot of interesting content in this book. It's a very fascinating read in many ways, but in other ways it's an over-hyped, ego driven new spin on a lot of scientific data that's already been put forth. That's why Vendramini can put nearly 800 references in his book, you see. The only thing really revolutionary about what he's saying that I can see, is that he thinks that Neanderthals were hair covered and more ape-like than they've been depicted by the scientific community for quite some time now. Cool! I'm down with that! Oh, and also, of course, he's pushing his very possibly, quite astute ideas about "teemosis," or roughly speaking, how predation induced stresses can be passed down to offspring who, despite never encountering the deadly animals that terrorized their ancestors end up having the instinctive fear of those predators literally bred into them. So, the teemosis process is micro-evolutionary, as opposed to macro-evolutionary, in nature. So... if the US is currently an aggressive country (that has troops in many of the places that the British either still do or formerly did have), maybe it's because of the way our ancestors were treated by... them. Hmm.
Nah! See... I like the British. Despite being an American, I actually have Scottish, Irish and Welsh ancestry (and German - those OTHER Vikings who stayed on the other side of the Channel), so sorry, no "Them and Us" mentality for me, brothers and sisters from across the seas! Peace out to you, one and all.
Lastly, a BIGFOOT SIZED word of warning to anyone who might be interested in buying this book because they heard about it on Bigfoot Hotspot Radio (www.blogtalkradio.com/bigfoothotspot). Vendramini does not appear to believe in Sasquatch, Yeti or any of those other bipedal hominds that are still sighted by all sorts of people in various places around the world to this very day. In fact, here's exactly what he has to say about it: "But, while it is amusing to hear that Mesopotamians 4000 years ago believed in a legendary crocodile-like dragon with wings, claws and fiery breath called an Enuma Elish, it is somewhat more disconcerting to realise that up to 3 million Americans believe they have had a personal encounter with an alien. And, despite scientific investigations that have produced not one actual yeti (sic), Sasquatch or abominable snowman, millions of people around the world still firmly believe in their existence."
Schucks! Us Americans is so gullible! Believin' in aliens and all them extant hominids that obviously ain't out there anyways. Thank you, Mr. Vendramini, for enlightening all us poor dumb people. I is ever so grateful that you decided to write your enlightening book. Ta da! Cue the god beams piercing down from the clouds. And then there was light! Vendramini light, that is. All hail the book of Vendramini.
February 8, 2022
This book has an incredibly interesting premise: what if Neanderthals were predators who warred with early humanity, and could they be the basis of creature myths such as Sasquatch? And if so, how might this predation have shape humanity?
I went into this book thinking it was more of a thought experiment but instead found an attempt at proving this as a reality, based on the author's understanding of evolution and his own personal evolutionary theories. Somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of the way through, it turned from an intriguing picture of what neanderthals might have looked and acted like (bones really only say so much) to a very shaky house of cards explanation for virtually every aspect of human physical appearance and instinctive behavior. I stopped near the halfway mark because I already felt the topic had been beaten completely to death and I really didn't want to read another sentence about theoretical neanderthals raping theoretical cave women and so that's why humans don't have thick dark hair all over our bodies like gorillas.
I went into this book thinking it was more of a thought experiment but instead found an attempt at proving this as a reality, based on the author's understanding of evolution and his own personal evolutionary theories. Somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of the way through, it turned from an intriguing picture of what neanderthals might have looked and acted like (bones really only say so much) to a very shaky house of cards explanation for virtually every aspect of human physical appearance and instinctive behavior. I stopped near the halfway mark because I already felt the topic had been beaten completely to death and I really didn't want to read another sentence about theoretical neanderthals raping theoretical cave women and so that's why humans don't have thick dark hair all over our bodies like gorillas.
January 2, 2024
This started with a really fun idea, and grabbed me right from the opening. Do we have a genetic fear of now extinct predator, and does that explain monsters?
Danny Vendramini loses that thread a little unpacking a lot of theory and fossil record, but keeps pushing forward around this hypothetical enemy of mankind, and keeps focused while offering and expanding on theories of human development.
A lot of what is proposed is theory, but it added a lot to my knowledge of early man, and pulls from many other theories that were also interesting.
Very fun, well thought out, would definitely recommend
Danny Vendramini loses that thread a little unpacking a lot of theory and fossil record, but keeps pushing forward around this hypothetical enemy of mankind, and keeps focused while offering and expanding on theories of human development.
A lot of what is proposed is theory, but it added a lot to my knowledge of early man, and pulls from many other theories that were also interesting.
Very fun, well thought out, would definitely recommend
May 27, 2024
This little booklet isn't written by a Neanderthal expert, and because it contains a lot of statements which are not correct, Danny Vendramini has been ridiculed! And his description of the Neanderthal looks is more like Tolkien's orcs than the actual hominids. While Neanderthals were probably more hirsute than homo sapiens, they were not as furry as mountain gorrillas. And they most certainly didn't have eyes like cats which glow in the dark and have slit pupils 😉 That is Vendramini's most absurd claim. However his booklet is very thought provoking nevertheless, because it's very plausible that Neanderthals who were consummate meat eaters and formidable hunters, may well have preyed on homo sapiens when they became available in certain areas. Neanderthals were very intelligent and physically stronger than homo sapiens, and while the Neanderthals didn't have cat eyes, there are indications that their eye sight was superior in the dark, and their sense of smell might've been better than our's as well. And like most other hominids they practiced cannibalism now and then. There is no reason to assume that preying on homo sapiens would have been tabu. Neanderthals were definitely not dumb brutes - but they weren't noble savages either, and being hunted by Neanderthals may well have been a very traumatic experience for the first groups of homo sapiens who had left the African continent and encountered the first Neanderthals in the Levante. And Danny Vendramini postulates that this early experience heavily shaped the genetic coding of our behavior and how we experience strangers. This doesn't exclude that the may have been peaceful encounters with Neanderthals and cultural exchanges as well. And not all matings may have been rapes. But overall Vendramini's thesis is very plausible. It would be great, though, if he would revise his booklet and take out those statements which are definitely not correct! This would improve the rate of acceptance.
March 31, 2023
Danny Vendramini offers a startling theory about a pivotal period in human history during which homo sapiens evolved from just another intelligent ape into what we recognize as modern human beings.His theory of Neanderthal Predation , (Neanderthals were 'apex' predators - who resided at the top of the food chain, and everything else - including humans - was their prey), is the core of the book.
Nowadays humans are the result of systematic long-term sexual predation and cannibalism by Eurasian Neanderthals.
His description of the living conditions at the time or hunting really big animals is very impressive.
Very well written book, not only for specialists.
Nowadays humans are the result of systematic long-term sexual predation and cannibalism by Eurasian Neanderthals.
His description of the living conditions at the time or hunting really big animals is very impressive.
Very well written book, not only for specialists.
March 21, 2024
Controversial speculation on what might have been the essential driver of Homo sapiens speciation. Follow the fossil record and forget hybridization, modern humans physicality and behavior became less like Neanderthals after contact with them. Sexual selection was violently against the characteristics Neanderthals displayed for hundreds of thousands of years. H. sapiens' domestication of dogs and bows and arrows were possibly a result of Neanderthal predation.
January 23, 2025
Danny Vendramini had probably the most iconic last line in this book with saying “there is no them and us. It’s all an illusion. There is only us.”
This book is incredibly easy to read if you want to dip your mind in some nonfiction. Everything broken down through a timeline lay. Danny actually incorporated in some parts some humor, or at least I laughed a good chunk. I truly enjoyed this book.
This book is incredibly easy to read if you want to dip your mind in some nonfiction. Everything broken down through a timeline lay. Danny actually incorporated in some parts some humor, or at least I laughed a good chunk. I truly enjoyed this book.
January 16, 2025
I'm always looking for new theories, and this book is one of the most interesting I've found. Our behaviour, fears, and just the way we are as humans, makes sense in the way "Neanderthal Predation Theory" explains it.
Very entertaining book, I totally recommend it.
Very entertaining book, I totally recommend it.
February 15, 2023
A reread. Makes way too much sense and explains a lot of our wiring. Read with Robert.
December 6, 2025
A very interesting book
September 29, 2025
So-called NP theory has no evidence in the books, but "logical" suggestions, and another thing that still bothers me is that Levantine went through such a radical transformation and almost became Sapience 2.0, what happened to Sapience still roaming in Africa? How come they transformed as well?
August 16, 2014
Years ago, back in the early 1970s, during the UFO-craze, when "Chariots of the Gods" was a bestseller, I read a book titled ”Mankind - Child of the Stars”. The premise of that book was that modern human characteristics (physical, emotional, sexual, etc.) are so different from the rest of the great apes because humans did not evolve directly from a common lineage. Rather, said that book, humans were tinkered with, tampered, our genetics altered by an alien race that visited our planet thousands of years ago.
Mr. Vendramini’s book revives that premise, only this time, the “tinkerer” is the interaction between Neanderthals and the nascent human species. He calls these proposed dynamics "Neanderthal Predation (NP) theory".
Mr. Vendramini certainly does raise some interesting and provocative questions with his NP theory. The common conception of Neanderthals as fair skinned, red-headed cousins of humans is a well-established concept. Recent analysis of Neanderthal DNA does suggest that Neanderthals had red hair (unlike Vendramini's dark-haired monsters). However, our knowledge of how genes are actually expressed in a living organism is still incomplete. Vendramini’s hypothesis of Neanderthals looking more like the other great apes (chimps, gorillas, orangutans) does have some merit. Modern orangutans do have bodies covered with reddish hair.
Mr. Vendramini's book is certainly entertaining and thought provoking (your thoughts may vary). Whether his NP theory is truly a proper scientific theory is debatable. In any case, the material was fodder for my novella, and I thank him for that.
Mr. Vendramini’s book revives that premise, only this time, the “tinkerer” is the interaction between Neanderthals and the nascent human species. He calls these proposed dynamics "Neanderthal Predation (NP) theory".
Mr. Vendramini certainly does raise some interesting and provocative questions with his NP theory. The common conception of Neanderthals as fair skinned, red-headed cousins of humans is a well-established concept. Recent analysis of Neanderthal DNA does suggest that Neanderthals had red hair (unlike Vendramini's dark-haired monsters). However, our knowledge of how genes are actually expressed in a living organism is still incomplete. Vendramini’s hypothesis of Neanderthals looking more like the other great apes (chimps, gorillas, orangutans) does have some merit. Modern orangutans do have bodies covered with reddish hair.
Mr. Vendramini's book is certainly entertaining and thought provoking (your thoughts may vary). Whether his NP theory is truly a proper scientific theory is debatable. In any case, the material was fodder for my novella, and I thank him for that.
August 23, 2014
Years ago, back in the early 1970s, during the UFO-craze, when "Chariots of the Gods" was a bestseller, I read a book titled ”Mankind - Child of the Stars”. The premise of that book was that modern human characteristics (physical, emotional, sexual, etc.) are so different from the rest of the great apes because humans did not evolve directly from a common lineage. Rather, said that book, humans were tinkered with, tampered, our genetics altered by an alien race that visited our planet thousands of years ago.
Mr. Vendramini’s book revives that premise, only this time, the “tinkerer” is the interaction between Neanderthals and the nascent human species. He calls these proposed dynamics "Neanderthal Predation (NP) theory".
Mr. Vendramini certainly does raise some interesting and provocative questions with his NP theory. The common conception of Neanderthals as fair skinned, red-headed cousins of humans is a well-established concept. Recent analysis of Neanderthal DNA does suggest that Neanderthals had red hair (unlike Vendramini's dark-haired monsters). However, our knowledge of how genes are actually expressed in a living organism is still incomplete. Vendramini’s hypothesis of Neanderthals looking more like the other great apes (chimps, gorillas, orangutans) does have some merit. Modern orangutans do have bodies covered with reddish hair.
Mr. Vendramini's book is certainly entertaining and thought provoking (your thoughts may vary). Whether his NP theory is truly a proper scientific theory is debatable. In any case, the material was fodder for my novella, and for that, I thank him.
Mr. Vendramini’s book revives that premise, only this time, the “tinkerer” is the interaction between Neanderthals and the nascent human species. He calls these proposed dynamics "Neanderthal Predation (NP) theory".
Mr. Vendramini certainly does raise some interesting and provocative questions with his NP theory. The common conception of Neanderthals as fair skinned, red-headed cousins of humans is a well-established concept. Recent analysis of Neanderthal DNA does suggest that Neanderthals had red hair (unlike Vendramini's dark-haired monsters). However, our knowledge of how genes are actually expressed in a living organism is still incomplete. Vendramini’s hypothesis of Neanderthals looking more like the other great apes (chimps, gorillas, orangutans) does have some merit. Modern orangutans do have bodies covered with reddish hair.
Mr. Vendramini's book is certainly entertaining and thought provoking (your thoughts may vary). Whether his NP theory is truly a proper scientific theory is debatable. In any case, the material was fodder for my novella, and for that, I thank him.
September 21, 2013
Interesting book. from a readability perspective highly recommend it. from a scientific perspective take it with a grain of salt. Vendramini postulates an interesting theory on Neanderthal predation and the effect that it had on our paleolithic ancestors. Its very compelling. He accuses the scientific community, the media and the public of falling in love with the anthropromophisation (is that a word?) of the Neanderthal, that they looked and acted like us. However he falls into the same trap as he is accusing other scientists of doing when he takes the opposite tack and makes neaderthals into the epitome of evil. I lost some respect though as he was talking about the digital reconstruction of the Neanderthal skull and notes "we knew by our visceral responses we were on the track that the creature was triggering our innate Neanderthal responses"- I don't think visceral responses are terribly scientific. he creates the ultimate boogyman - complete to horrific sneer and homicidal gleam in his eyes. He then gets a off the rails by claiming every single human response, reaction or action is related to this.
Again, interesting in a thought provoking way.
Again, interesting in a thought provoking way.
January 28, 2011
Danny Vendramini presents an interesting hypothesis here, and he really got me hooked at the start. His theory is that Neanderthals and homo sapiens were caught in a predator/prey battle for thousands of years, and that is how we, homo sapiens, evolved the way we did. Vendramini breaks down each aspects of the pre-modern humans' lives, and how the Neanderthals could have changed humans when they were the major predators. He also goes into how Neanderthals possibly looked more like gorillas than humans.
But then it got a bit strange, when Vendramini started introducing teems and psychological genetic imprinting, and he lost me. His initials theories were quite well thought out, but I felt it just went a bit far. However, he does seem to realise this, and mentions that his theories are just starting and may be wrong. So good job, Vendramini, for realising your short comings.
But then it got a bit strange, when Vendramini started introducing teems and psychological genetic imprinting, and he lost me. His initials theories were quite well thought out, but I felt it just went a bit far. However, he does seem to realise this, and mentions that his theories are just starting and may be wrong. So good job, Vendramini, for realising your short comings.
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January 10, 2017I read the Kindle edition. The references section only has a broken link to a references section on the author's web page. The author's theory is deeply flawed. The author asserts that modern humans had a fairly recent evolution in the Levant, as a result of pressures from Neanderthals, and that all humans living in the world today stem from this Levantine population. We know from the genetic evidence that this Levantine human population was in fact in contact with Neanderthals, as human females created hybrid offspring with Neanderthals; however, a recent evolution of human beings could not have taken place in this Levantine population, as Africans, who are modern humans, just like Europeans and Asians, do not posses Neanderthal DNA, which means that Africans living in the world today do not come from this Levantine population. All humans living in the world today had to have fully evolved prior to their contact with Neanderthals.
September 9, 2018
Almost 5 stars, personally I think it does rank 5 stars for ingenuity. I have quite an extensive library concerning the neanderthals and have some background in paleoanthropology. In other words, the subject has always fascinated me so my opinion may be bias. But I think the author provided a fresh look at a lot of subject matter concerning the Neanderthal that is not touched by the mainstream historians and archaeologists, often because it is taboo or just not PC to consider. The book puts forth some very thought provoking ideas concerning our ancestors interactions with the species, with 'them' as being predators and natural enemies of our kind. Sure, much of it is pure conjecture - but the author admits to this, and said conjecture is not without some well thought out research. I found it quite interesting and look forward to reading it a second time.
December 29, 2010
Wow! This book is only discussing a theory, but man does it make so many things make so much sense. This to me is more believable than the Bible in explaining our origins in my opinion. I now look at the world a little differently, and I can really start to understand my own fears and reactions to certain situations more, as well at other peoples, coming from the angle this book discusses. Well worth the read, and I highly recommend it.
December 7, 2012
Very interesting book. The NP theory throws a new light on the ancient history.
I was inspired by this book. I learnt a lot, also about our culture and the way of mankind.
I strongly recommend reading this book.
I was inspired by this book. I learnt a lot, also about our culture and the way of mankind.
I strongly recommend reading this book.
April 10, 2012
Excellent speculative analysis! This would make a great TV doc.
March 28, 2014
Not very believable, but Neanderthals hunting us to near extinction makes for a crazy story.
December 4, 2014
I love anthropology. This book is about Neanderthal Predation Theory ... Loved it!
May 9, 2015
Interesting extrapolation, but in the end I walked away unsatisfied since the entire thing is built on conjecture upon conjecture. It was fascinating though.
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