Have you seen this piece? https://www.onceinaspecies.com/p/once-in-a-species-73b

TLDR: Our species’ unique success (over other human subspecies) came not from raw IQ, or just tools or language, but from a neural wiring that emphasised abstract thought and a compulsive appreciation of scarce collectibles — enabling the development of proto-money (shell beads), large-scale coordination, and ultimately civilisation.