How Did Neanderthals Survive 400,000 Winters Without Reliable Fire? The wind screams through the Dordogne Valley. Temperatures have dropped below freezing, cold enough to cause frostbite in under 10 minutes. Yet 60,000 years ago, a Neanderthal mother wraps her children in waterproofed hides as darkness falls. For 400,000 winters, Neanderthals conquered Earth's most brutal cold despite the shocking discovery of "fire gaps" and inconsistent fire technology. This video reveals the incredible engineering, chemical ingenuity (like using manganese dioxide to lower wood's ignition temperature ), waterproof leather, thermal clothing, and biological adaptations that made survival possible. Discover the secrets of their architecture, from deep cave shelters to mammoth-bone structures, that kept them warm without a single piece of burning wood. Like & Subscribe @HistoricalArchitect for more deep dives into human history! #neanderthal #neanderthals #humanevolution #iceagesurvival #ancienthistory #prehistory #archaeology #firetechnology #neanderthalgenius #historicalarchitecture #historicalarchitect #ancientarchitecture #howdidneanderthalssurvive400000winterswithoutfire CHAPTERS: 0:00 Intro 01:35 Humanity's First Architects 03:47 The Fire Paradox 06:06 Clothing & Industrial Revolution 09:17 The Body Built For Winter 12:02 Modern Experiments & Relevance 16:01 Remembering our Ancient Cousins Attribution List: Secrets of the Neanderthals (2024) Who were the Neanderthals? (DW Documentary) Neanderthal Apocalypse： A Journey from Extinction to Genetic Legacy ( Youtube) Neanderthal stone rings in Bruniquel Cave, France (SciNews, Youtube) Bruniquel Cave: By Luc-Henri Fage/SSAC - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Schmerling Caves: By Utilisateur:Bel Adone - Own work, Public Domain, Spy Cave: By Krocat at , CC BY-SA 3.0, Combe Grenal: By Don Hitchcock, Combe Grenal Tools: By Don Hitchcock, François Bordes at Combe Grenal: Loiseau, J, La Ferrassie Cave/Vulva Engraving: By Sémhur - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, | La Ferrassie Cave 2005 - By Vincent Mourre (user 120) - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Excavation at La Ferrassie 1908: Photo: ( ) Excavation at La Ferrassie 1909: Pales (1962) - Neanderthal tools: Peyrony (1914) - Abri Romani: By Generalitat de Cataunya. Departament de Cultura i Mitjans de Comunicació - CC BY 2.5, Shanidar Cave - By Ralph Solecki