Episode 1 of 3

Discovery of Remains

When: August 1856
Where: Kleine Feldhofer Grotte
Part of: Discovery of Neanderthal type specimen in the Neander Valley

Italian workers uncovered human-like bones in the Kleine Feldhofer Grotte in August 1856.

Workers extended the cave entrance by removing sintered clay layers. Fuhlrott recognized the bones as distinct from modern humans. He personally brought the remains to Bonn during the winter for Schaaffhausen's investigation, initiating the scientific study of the type specimen.

Sources

Neanderthal 1 Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-12
Neanderthal Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-06

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