Caveman

This article is about the stock character. For real-life instances of humans living in caves, see Cave dweller. For other uses, see Caveman (disambiguation).
"Cavepeople" redirects here. Not to be confused with CAVE people.
"Cavewoman" redirects here. For comics, see Cavewoman (comics).
Le Moustier Neanderthals (Charles R. Knight, 1920)

The caveman is a stock character representative of primitive humans in the Paleolithic. The popularization of the type dates to the early 20th century, when Neanderthals were influentially described as "simian" or "ape-like" by Marcellin Boule[1] and Arthur Keith.[2]

The term "caveman" has its taxonomic equivalent in the now-obsolete binomial classification of Homo troglodytes (Linnaeus, 1758).[3]

  1. ^ "Ape-like or human? Disagreement erupts over Neanderthal posture". Cosmos. 25 February 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
  2. ^ "Early Man in Palestine". Nature. 129 (3268): 898. 1932-06-01. Bibcode:1932Natur.129R.898.. doi:10.1038/129898b0. ISSN 1476-4687.
  3. ^ Isabella, Jude (2013-12-05). "The Caveman's Home Was Not a Cave". Nautilus. Retrieved 2020-04-13.