The Singing Neanderthals by Steven J. Mithen
The Origins of Music, Language, Mind, and Body
Proposes that music and language evolved from a shared, pre-linguistic communication system—holistic, manipulative, multi-modal, musical, and mimetic—used by early humans and especially Neanderthals. Drawing on archaeology, neuroscience, and anthropology, it argues that rhythmic movement, melody, and vocalizations supported social bonding, emotional expression, coordination, and caregiving long before complex syntax emerged. The account suggests that modern language later diverged from this musical protolanguage, leaving music as a powerful vestige in the human brain and culture.
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- Published
- 2005
- Nationality
- British
- Length
- Moderate
- Pages
- 384
- Original Language
- English
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