Human remains were found in a burial excavated into the limestone bedrock in the floor of a small cave near La Chapelle-aux-Saints, France. The find comprised a nearly complete skeleton of an adult male of the species Homo neanderthalensis. The recovered remains included a well-preserved skull and mandible, most of the vertebrae, several ribs, most of the long bones of the arms and legs, plus some of the smaller bones of the hands and feet.

The skull, in the photographs to the left, is very well preserved and shows the low-vaulted cranium with the receding forehead typical of the Neanderthal cranium (middle and bottom photographs). A large supraorbital torus (browridge) spans the region over the eyes (top photograph), and there is a noticeable projection of the middle portion of the face.

Many of the teeth were missing, and the bone that had surrounded these teeth showed evidence of healing after tooth loss. This means that the individual lived for a considerable time after losing many of his teeth. In all, the teeth lost during life included all of the check teeth on the right side of the lower jaw, the molars on the left, and at least the molars of the upper jaw. While the remaining teeth were probably sufficient for chewing, it is likely that this individual was supported by others in his final years.

The "Old Man of La Chapelle-aux-Saints" was the first relatively complete skeleton of a Neanderthal individual. The original reconstruction, which was made by the noted paleontologist Marcellin Boule, influenced the perception of Neanderthals in paleoanthropology and popular culture for many years (Click to read more on misconceptions about the Neanderthals).

Recent dating of this site has yielded an age of around 60,000 years old.