RESEARCH from the University of York has suggested that ancient humans were not as primitive as once considered.

A team from the Department of Archaeology has charted the development of compassion, using archaeological evidence to show when ancient humans developed emotions.

"Compassion is perhaps the most fundamental human emotion. It binds us together and can inspire us but it is also fragile and elusive,” said Dr Penny Spikins, who led the research.

“This apparent fragility makes addressing the evidence for the development of compassion in our most ancient ancestors a unique challenge, yet the archaeological record has an important story to tell.”

The research suggested different stages of development, with the first occurring six million years ago, when chimpanzees and man’s earliest ancestors made small gestures, like holding back a branch to allow others to pass.

Another stage saw homo erectus care for sick individuals and give special treatment to the dead, indicating grief and compassion were present 1.8 million years ago.

More evidence from 500,000 years ago showed early humans provided care to the infirm or injured, with the remains of a child born with a brain abnormality which was not abandoned, but lived to the age of about six, and a deformed, half-blind Neanderthal man who may have been looked after by others for up to 20 years.

"We have traditionally paid a lot of attention to how early humans thought about each other, but it may well be time to pay rather more attention to whether or not they 'cared'," said Dr Spikins.

Dr Spikins will give a free public lecture about the research, entitled ‘Neanderthals in love: What can archaeology tell us about the feelings of ancient humans’, at the University of York on Tuesday, October 19.

The lecture will be held in room P/L001 in the Department of Physics at 6.30pm, and tickets are not required.