A paleoanthropologist remarked that the most striking and reliable difference between finds at Neanderthal and contemporaneous sapiens sites was that Neanderthal artifacts were never from sources far away, which he interpreted to mean they had no trade network.

There are many ways to interpret that: xenophobic? susceptible to disease? militantly self-sufficient? not interested in decoration? (Most trade goods are decorative.) no language skills?

There is other evidence that Neanderthals had no reliable access to fire: that if their banked coals died, they could not start a new fire, or get a light from another band.