How language, community, and culture shaped humanity

What makes us social beings – and how did language originate in the first place?

In the seventh section of the Neanderthal Museum exhibition, you will learn why communication is more than just words, how early humans lived in groups, and why cooperation was our strongest evolutionary advantage. From the first sounds to shared childcare to a global society.

Rekonstruktion_Neanderthaler_Mr 4%_homo neanderthalensis_Neanderthal Museum

The origin of language

Did Neanderthals speak?

Early hominins used gestures and sounds - until language emerged. Language was the key to passing on knowledge. The complex tools and hunting strategies of Neanderthals could only have been developed with the help of language.

Tag der Forschung

Communication without fossils

Language itself leaves no traces. However, its biological prerequisites - brain size, hyoid bone, FOXP2 gene - can be traced using scientific methods.

Erwachsene berühren große Gehirn Statue aus Stein beim Outdoor Kunstweg

The brain – the engine of language and culture

In relation to the body, the human brain is exceptionally large - and energy-hungry. It is the biological basis for language, planning, memory, and cultural development. The brain became the platform for abstract ideas, community spirit, and symbolic thinking - a decisive step on the path to today's society.

Familie posiert neben Kina

Premature birth: humans – community as a survival strategy

Human babies are born immature. This made cooperation necessary - even for Homo erectus. Parents, grandparents, and group members worked together to care for the young.

Neanderthalerin Oma mit Kind in der Ausstellung

The role of the grandmother

Grandmothers as a form of “social innovation” supported young mothers - a model that has survived in many cultures to this day. If you want to learn more about motherhood among Neanderthals, take a look at our new special exhibition.

Ernährung in der Steinzeit - Szene aus dem Scope

Family, relatives, cohesion

More than mother-father-child

In the Stone Age, people lived in small groups of about 25 individuals. These structures were the seeds of culture, cooperation, and the passing on of traditions. Today, there are countless models of cohabitation around the world - from extended families to blended families. But the principle of community remains the same.

Glasvitrinen mit tausenden weißen Miniaturfiguren zeigen anschaulich das Bevölkerungswachstum der Menschheit im Verlauf der Geschichte

From clan to society – human growth

Population explosion caused by agriculture

With the advent of settled life 10,000 years ago, humanity grew rapidly. Cities sprang up, new social rules became necessary - and new challenges arose: epidemics, inequality, resource scarcity. The trend continues: the world's population is growing. How we will live together in the future is becoming one of the most important questions of our time.

Rekonstruktion_Neanderthaler_Mr N_homo neanderthalensis_vor Museum

Would you like to learn how language became society?

Then visit the Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann!

Immerse yourself in the world of the first words, group structures, and social inventions—and discover how communication became the foundation of our culture.