Seeking to recreate the life of our extinct relatives, I present "The Cave". My idea was to show Neandertals having a sense of self. My brother suggested a take on Plato's Cave, and well - here is the result. A Neandertal family unit staring at their own shadows cast on the cave wall by the fire.

Whereas there is no concrete evidence to suggest Neandertals thinking deeply about themselves and their place in the world, from what can be gathered based on the latest archaeological and anthropological findings, it would seem they would have been smart enough to understand what they were at least. 

This fascinates me, and I've set out to depict all these facets of Neandertal life as best I can. I'm far from what my ultimate goal is: a reconstructed life of a Neandertal family unit, and even more tribes. But, with research and many drawings and illustrations, I hope to reach my goal sooner or later.

This is my own take on what could be perceived as a sense of self among Neandertals. According to some speculation based on archaeological findings, Neandertals were far smarter than previously thought. So much so that very human notions of complex thought, care, abstract thinking and even language may have been shared with our cousins. 

So that brings me to my little illustration here: Neandertals contemplating their shadows - an extension of themselves cast by the fire they made. I think we can all find some resemblance with them in this regard. And why not, we are not too different, after all.