Neandertals were advanced enough to use tools for things other than hunting and survival. Bones have been found with faint patterns across them, and mammoth teeth with patterns and a single hole have also been discovered close to the burial sites of many Neandertals. Many of these bones have been dyed with red ochre at least once. A bone, which is thought to be a pendant was found close to an old Neandertal shelter, and the same pattern was found many miles away, leading many to think that different Neandertal tribes traded with each other, and that the pendant might have been some sort of amulet or thought to have some sort of power. Art might have been a way to pass the time during the seasons when there was little hunting or activity, or it could have been a way to entertain little children at night. The elders might even have made little primitave toys for the children. If someone was injured, they would not be able to hunt, so they would need something to do to pass the time. Art was a way to express themselves during hard times, or when they were joyous after a hunt. Advances in toolmaking made life a little easier, and afforded the Neandertal people more leasure time in which to develop ideas and non-essential skills such as painting and sculpture.

Neandertals also created what is thought to be the first music. An extremely primitave flute has been discovered, and carbon dated back to the Neandertal period. This shows that Neandertals not only felt they had to express themselves through art, but through music as well.

A flute:

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