The second Neanderthal skull to have been found in Gibraltar was excavated by Dorothy Garrod from Devil’s Tower Cave one hundred years ago, 1926.
The skull belonged to a four-year-old Neanderthal boy. In recent years, after the wonderful forensic reconstruction done for the Gibraltar National Museum by the Dutch brothers Kennis & Kennis, leaders in this field, the Neanderthal child has been known as Flint. Flint has become a household name, popular in particular with school children visiting the museum.
The Gibraltar National Museum will be marking this landmark year with a series of events which will culminate with a milestone Calpe Conference to be held in Gibraltar from the 1st to the 6th of September. Major researchers and speakers in the field of human evolution, and Neanderthals in particular, will be presenting the latest findings at the conference, which is also seen as marking a pivotal moment in which we will be able to reflect on how our understanding of these ancient humans has changed in recent years. In this respect, the work carried out in Gibraltar has been critical in changing our views of the Neanderthals and their cognitive capacities.
This year also marks the tenth anniversary of the inscription of the Gorham’s Cave Complex on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the first and only time that a site in Gibraltar has received such a major international accolade. The celebration of this particular anniversary, for a site that is the only World Heritage Site to be exclusively dedicated to the Neanderthals, will fit in well into the overall centenary theme.
A series of events are being organized for the year, and details of these will be released during the course of the year. They will include a special themed museum open day on the 9th of May and a specific highlighting of the day of the discovery itself – the 11th June. A new set of displays is also expected for the museum. The commemoration of the inscription of the Gorham’s Cave Complex will be marked during the Calpe Conference, which will guarantee the presence of an international, as well as local, audience.
A special book, detailing the discovery of the skull and its historical background – Dorothy Garrod and the Devil’s Tower Skull - which has been written by Dr Alex Menez of the Gibraltar National Museum, will be released during the course of the year. A children’s story book- Flint wants to play - written by Professor Geraldine Finlayson, will also be published this year.
To commence the year’s activities, a four-part public lecture series has been arranged in which different aspects of Neanderthals, with special reference to the work being carried out in Gibraltar, will be presented by members of the museum team. These lectures will be held at the John Mackintosh Hall and are free and open to all those interested. The programme is as follows:
Thursday 19th February @ 18:00, Charles Hunt Room, John Mackintosh Hall, Professor Clive Finlayson, Neanderthals and Hyaenas – Exploring the Natural History of the First Gibraltarians
Tuesday 17th March @ 18:00, Charles Hunt Room, John Mackintosh Hall, Professor Geraldine Finlayson, Neanderthals – Behaviour, Culture, and Emerging Humanity
Wednesday 8th April @ 18:00, Charles Hunt Room, John Mackintosh Hall, Dr Alex Menez, Dorothy Garrod and the Devil’s Tower Skull
Thursday 7th May @ 18:00, Charles Hunt Room, John Mackintosh Hall, Dr Stewart Finlayson, The Last Neanderthal – The World Through Flint’s Eyes
Minister for Heritage John Cortes said:
“It is fitting that we should mark the hundredth anniversary of the discovery of these Neanderthal remains and celebrate the extraordinary work that has been done since then by the team from the Gibraltar National Museum and their associates. I am very much looking forward to what they have in store for us this significant year!”.
