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We once thought of Neanderthals as crude and unintelligent – not any more. Archaeological evidence suggests they were capable of symbolic thought, had some capacity for speech, and probably carried out elaborate burial rituals. They may even have taught modern humans new skills when the two species met and interbred.

Now we are starting to discover what Neanderthal home life was like, and the caricature of prehistoric cave men couldn’t be more wrong, Matt Pope of University College London will argue at �鶹��ý Live next month.

It turns out that prehistoric humans started living in “homes” far earlier than we had thought. This unseen revolution included Neanderthals who, like Homo sapiens, had complex tools and mastery of fire. Neanderthals lived in family groups consisting of five to 10 individuals, and cared for their sick and injured with a medical cabinet that included painkillers and penicillin.

Contrary to expectations, some Neanderthals were even vegetarian. Others seasoned their food with wild herbs. And they were making porridge 32,000 years ago, long before farming was invented.

Hear more about the when Pope speaks at �鶹��ý Live in London on Sunday 23 September.

�鶹��ý Live is our award-winning festival of ideas and discoveries. The four-day event will feature more than 110 speakers giving thought-provoking talks on everything from why to the .