I really enjoyed this book. It is well-written and accessible, yet it contains a strong academic argument that I found quite persuasive. It is one of those books that you could give to your grandmother to explain what you find fascinating about the archaeology of Neanderthals, or give to undergraduates as a quick introduction to many of the major issues. That is the sort of science writing to which we should all be aspiring.

The book presents a clever, evidence-based argument for the cognitive intelligence of Neanderthals. It takes aim at several key aspects of the traditional archaeological position on Neanderthals, notably that held by Paul Mellars, Richard Klein and Mary Stiner, which contends that Neanderthals were not cognitively equivalent to modern humans, and that this cognitive difference was a substantial part of the reason why Modern Humans eclipsed Neanderthals (leaving aside the exchange of a few genes).

The most substantial evidence comes from the bones of birds found in excavations, particularly at Gorham's Cave, Gibraltar, by teams led by Finlayson, and the interpretation of other evidence in light of that. Finlayson does not cite an earlier study of the bird bones from Gorham's Cave, by Anne Eastham (Reference Eastham1968, Reference Eastham and Clutton-Brock1989), which focused on species abundance and habitat preferences, with some comments on agents of deposition. It is always good to acknowledge those who went before, especially as it would highlight the distance between the issues that pre-occupied excavators then, and those of the present study. All of the inferences here about the treatment of birds are supported by Finlayson's direct observations of the same species of birds in Gibraltar and at various locations across Europe and North America. It is a very impressive argument and must give Finlayson enormous satisfaction, given that he began his career studying the birds of the rock of Gibraltar (and taking superlative photographs of them), only later becoming involved in archaeology. He writes with the enthusiasm that such synergy engenders. The evidence for the treatment of birds, and his supporting argument, has been thoroughly set out by Finlayson, together with his family and colleagues, in a series of papers. He is quick to acknowledge, however, that they were not alone. That others published on the apparent symbolic treatment of birds by Neanderthals just before him reinforces rather than diminishes the point. The practice appears to have been widespread across Europe.

I view much of the book through the lens of personal experience. My own research began in Spain, studying animal bones, including the bones from the John Waechter excavations in Gorham's Cave, which are hardly mentioned by Finlayson. I plead guilty to the charge of “absence of natural history understanding” (p. 98), which Finlayson bemoans in others, but it was not a rare failing in the 1970s. He and his colleagues have such understanding in abundance, and several chapters describe field trips to observe birds in their natural modern habitats. I am also strongly implicated in arguing, together with psychologist Bill Noble, that modern people are cognitively different from Neanderthals. I now believe that aspects of our arguments in the 1980s and 1990s were wrong, but that is in light of new evidence, including the discoveries described in this book—and particularly those from southern Africa. To some extent, the arguments made by Mellars, Klein and Stiner were also formulated without the benefit of the new evidence—although we could argue about the extent that they have been willing to change their positions.

I was also involved in the construction of a detailed argument, developed first with Noble, and later with cognitive scientist Phil Barnard and others, on how to identify the mindedness (cognition) of people from archaeological evidence. Such theoretical issues are still important, but this book does not engage with them at all. That field has expanded enormously, particularly due to the work of Thomas Wynn and Fred Coolidge (who have also edited volumes showcasing the theoretical work of others). There are many aspects of the claim that Neanderthals are closer to us than previously imagined and which still require a better argument, especially in terms of modelling cognitive evolution in a way that allows changes between the last common ancestor and ourselves. There are a few too many under-theorised assertions in The smart Neanderthal that suppose particular behaviours must indicate the cognitive competence of Neanderthals.

There are hints in several places that art is an important factor, and the final chapter of the book mentions the discovery of engraved lines on the rock floor of Gorham's Cave. Generally speaking, however, they remain only hints, and Finlayson does not fully discuss the cognitive importance of art. It is one of a number of issues that are important aspects of the argument with which he seems reticent to engage; perhaps, however, that is inevitable in a book written to be accessible. It is a pity because there is a real need for a book that is an accessible critique of the emergence of art and modern cognition. There's a thought.