Neanderthal Teeth Discovered in German Cave

Doesn't sound like much of a headline, does it, but when I read this article I got incensed!  One of the archaeologists quoted made some astounding assumptions based on absolutely no evidence whatever.  Shades of H.J.R. Murray!   I'll talk about that after I present the article, from Yahoo News (AP):

Polish scientists say 3 Neanderthal teeth found
By VANESSA GERA, Associated Press Writer Vanessa Gera, Associated Press Writer – Mon Feb 1, 2:54 pm ET
WARSAW, Poland – A team of Polish scientists said Monday they have discovered three Neanderthal teeth in a cave, a find they hope may shed light on how similar to modern humans our ancestors were.

Neanderthal artifacts have been unearthed in Poland before. But the teeth are the first bodily Neanderthal remains found in the country, according to Mikolaj Urbanowski, an archaeologist with Szczecin University and the project's lead researcher.

Urbanowski said the teeth were unearthed in the Stajnia Cave, north of the Carpathian Mountains, along with flint tools and the bones of the woolly mammoth and the woolly rhinoceros, both extinct Ice Age species.

The researchers also found a hammer made of reindeer antler and bones of cave bears bearing cut marks, indicating they were eaten by the Neanderthals, Urbanowski said.

"The cave bears were big, dangerous animals and this supports the view the Neanderthals were really efficient hunters," he said.

The findings were reported by the German science journal Naturwissenschaften in an online article dated Jan. 28.

The article focused mainly on one of teeth, providing evidence for the claim that it is the molar of a Neanderthal who died around age 20.

Urbanowski said that tooth has undergone the most analysis but the team is nearly certain the other two also belonged to Neanderthals who lived 100,000 to 80,000 years ago.

The placement of the teeth along with flint tools has led the team to hypothesize that the site could have been some kind of primitive burial site, which would point to a belief in the afterlife.

Jeffrey Schwartz, a professor of physical anthropology with the University of Pittsburgh, said the find is significant because it establishes that Neanderthals lived in a region where so far little evidence has been found. However, he said there is not enough evidence at this point to draw any conclusions about a possible burial site.

"No one ceremoniously buries one human tooth," said Schwartz, who was not involved in the research, but reviewed an early version of the paper.

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I don't know if the cave was used as a burial place for 'Neanderthal' people or not, but to assume that "no one ceremoniously buries one human tooth" is ridiculous.  How the hell does he know what "Neanderthal' people may or may not have done?  We know next to nothing about them!  He said himself "there is not enough evidence" - and yet he stated unequivocably anyway NO ONE blah blah blah. 

We don't know - that's the point.  For all we know, 'Neanderthal' were buried in this cave and at some point subsequently exhumed and moved elsewhere, except for the teeth that may have rolled out of the way and got lost under a cover of dust.  I think it is more supportable to suggest and even assume that the cave may have been a 'Neanderthal' burial place than not, since there has been evidence, albeit scant, that 'Neanderthal' had art/artifacts, used ocher in evident ritual significance, treated and took care of their injured and elderly, and in one grave, buried a dead girl child with flowers.  It is not supportable to assume that in no way might 'Neanderthal' have engaged in a ritual burial of teeth.