In this acclaimed bestseller, an explorer and Neanderthal hunter takes us on a riveting journey of discovery

'With the style of a poet and imagination of a philosopher, Ludovic Slimak probes the minds of Neanderthals. . . This fun and provocative book is a reminder that we still have a lot to learn about biological intelligence' Steve Brusatte


What if we have completely misunderstood who the Neanderthals truly were?

For over a century we saw them as inferior to Homo Sapiens. Today, Neanderthals are seen as fully human, different from us only because of their distant cultural traditions. But does the truth lie somewhere else entirely?

Neanderthal hunter and paleoanthropologist Ludovic Slimak understands these enigmatic creatures like no one else after studying them for three decades. Taking us on a fascinating archaeological investigation from the Arctic Circle to the deep Mediterranean forests, he traces their steps, deciphering their stories through every single detail they left behind.

In this stunning, bold book, he argues that Neanderthals should be understood on their own terms. They had their own history, their own rituals, their own customs. Their own intelligence. A remarkable intelligence, for sure, but an intelligence that may have been very different from ours - although it can still teach us much about ourselves.

A thought-provoking detective story, written with wit and verve, The Naked Neanderthal shifts our understanding of deep history - and in the process reveals just how much we have yet to learn.

"Roaming through caves, digging through earth and rocks, and unearthing fossils, this adventurous, bearded archaeologist takes us from the Arctic Circle to Mediterranean forests in his search for the famous Neanderthal. His personal quest combined with the scientific argument gives the book its real weight. The writing is lively and the author deftly uses sarcasm and shock factor" - Les Echos

"A candid and uncompromising approach to a much-debated part of humanity's early history ... Slimak immerses us in the daily life of a prehistoric archaeologist ... a bold book" - L'Histoire.fr

"Ludovic Slimak takes us on an astonishing archaeological quest. . . he squarely confronts the myths surrounding this extinct species ... This human 'creature' is the Neanderthal, of course. But it's us too, whose unexpected portrait emerges from this comparison across millennia" - Les Rencontres Philosophiques de Monaco