Contact
Email : ludovic.slimak@cnrs.fr
Phone : 00 33 6 15 73 12 47
Biosketch
Ludovic Slimak’s research has been built over the past 30 years using archaeological data from regions that were previously archaeologically unrecognised. He has led a total of 54 archaeological missions on three continents, with 20 of these missions conducted internationally in Turkey, Ethiopia, Djibouti, the Polar Russia, and the Mediterranean region of France. He is the author of more than 230 scientific studies that focus on both the organization and history of Neanderthal societies and the structure of the early Sapiens populations on the European continent.
His research has profoundly redefined our understanding of the perceived relationships between these two branches of humanity, reshaping the cultural and historical framework of the last Neanderthal societies and the ways in which Sapiens colonized western Eurasia.
For the past fifteen years, his research has been particularly focused on Mediterranean regions and the structures of cultural mutations in human populations, from the dawn of Neanderthal societies to their remarkable extinction. These studies also explore the remarkable connections that can be established between the Rhône Valley and the eastern and western extremities of the Mediterranean. The Rhône Valley is a unique geographical area that, in a Europe fragmented by mountain ranges, can be seen as an isthmus connecting Mediterranean Europe to the continental Europe. It is also the second-largest river in the Mediterranean after the Nile. It is in this intellectual context that he has directed researches for over 25 years at the Grotte Mandrin.
While he is an archaeologist, Ludovic Slimak’s writings intersect with cultural anthropology, philosophy, and thinking about the nature of our humanity and its future. He now shares his knowledge, perspective, and the results of his reflections with the widest possible audience. As the author of some ten books, his recent works, « Néandertal nu » (The Naked Neanderthal released by Penguin books in September 2023) and « Le dernier néandertalien, » have enjoyed great success and are currently being translated into numerous languages.
Selected Publications
- Slimak L., 2023, The three waves: Rethinking the structure of the first Upper Paleolithic in Western Eurasia. PLoS ONE 18(5): e0277444.
- Metz L., J.E. Lewis, Slimak L., 2023, Bow-and-arrow, technology of the first modern humans in Europe 54,000 years ago at Mandrin, France. Science Advances9, eadd4675 (2023).
- Slimak L., Zanolli C., Higham T., Frouin M., Schwenninger J-L., et al. 2022, Modern human incursion into Neanderthal territories 54,000 years ago at Mandrin, France. Science Advances 8, pp.eabj9496.
- Slimak L., Nicholson C.M., 2020. Cannibals in the forest: A comment on Defleur and Desclaux (2019). Journal of Archaeological Science, Elsevier, 2020, 117, pp.105034.
- Slimak L.,2019, For a cultural anthropology of the last Neanderthals. Quaternary Science Reviews, 217, pp.330−339.
Selected Medias
- « ‘I feel like a man from another era’: Neanderthal hunter Ludovic Slimak« , Interview, The Guardian (10 September 2023)
- « My work digging up the shelters of our ancestors« , Nature, CAREER Q&A, (08 June 2022)
- « En disant que Neandertal était comme nous, on l’a limité à nous » Interview, Le Monde (15 January 2022)