Philippe-Charles or Philip Carel Schmerling (2 March 1791 Delft – 7 November 1836, Liège) was a Dutch/Belgian prehistorian, pioneer in paleontology, and geologist.

In 1829 he discovered the first Neanderthal fossil in a cave in Engis, the partial cranium of a small child, although it was not recognized as such until 1936, and is now thought to be between 30,000 and 70,000 years old.

In 1822, Schmerling and his wife moved to Liège at which university he continued his studies[3] and became Doctor of Medicine in 1825.

[4][5] In 1829 he excavated fossils in what are now named the Schmerling Caves, in the region of Flémalle, in the Meuse valley, between Liège and Huy.

[6] Schmerling investigated about sixty calcareous caves of the provinces of Liège and Luxembourg during the following years.