Researchers have long been attempting to piece together the trek of Neanderthals from Europe into Asia around the Middle and Upper Paleolithic time periods. This time marks the eventual disappearance of Neanderthals and the transition to a Homo-sapien-dominated world. The archaeological site of Starosele on the Crimean Peninsula has been studied and identified as a likely site of Middle Paleolithic Neanderthal activity, although DNA evidence was lacking due to poor preservation and rarity of hominin bones.
Yeah, it was an obvious joke, but it’s honestly a bit unfair to Neanderthals. If they had survived maybe they would have tended less towards stupid wars and revanchist autocrats. There’s really nothing in the record to show they were lesser than us, except maybe that they went extinct.