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The Jebel Qafzeh remains or Qafzeh-Skhul early modern humans[1] were discovered at the paleoanthropological site Qafzeh (ger. Kafzeh) near Mount Precipice south of Nazareth, Israel. Since 1933, 12 significant fossilised human skeletons have been found at the main rock shelter and in the Skhul cave[2]. These (seemingly) anatomically modern humans, both adult and infant, are now dated to circa 90-100,000 years old (or older [3]).
Many of the bones and shells of Glycymeris insubrica[4][5] are stained with red ochre which is conjectured to have been used in the burial process, a significant indicator of ritual behavior and thereby symbolic thought and intelligence. 71 pieces of unused red ochre also littered the site.
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1
From 1930 to 1932, at Mount Carmel, Israel, Dorothy Garrod excavated Neanderthal and early modern human remains in the Carmel Caves of Tabun (Israel), El Wad (Algeria), Es Skhul, Shuqba (Shuqbah) and Kebara [4][citation needed].
Qafzeh cave excavation by René Neuville, began in 1934 and the "sediment and Barbary figs almost completely concealed the entrance to the cave". The cave opens north to Wadi el Hadj in Precipice mountains.[6]
In an excavation from 1933, René Neuville, T. McCown and H. Movius, Jr. discovered the remains of two anatomically modern humans, and by the time of Andrew Moore's publication in 1977 the remains of eleven different skeletons had been recovered. Prior to 1989, the skeletons were thought to be about 50,000 years old.[7]
2
The fossil was "baptized" initially as Paleontropus palestinensis by Dorothy Garrod, a name suggested by her to similar series of human remains.[8]
The Skhul 9 remains are both unique and controversial [5]. They appear to have a modern West Africans looking skull[9] with archaic features, specifically mandibular prognathism (jutting lower jaw) and supra-orbital ridges (brow ridges).
(Skuhl 5 display more prominent supraorbital ridges.) Others state that Qazefh 6 has features similar to Cro-Magnon [10] Yet others that all Qafzeh and especially 6 do not have modern futures. Others see Asian features in Qafzeh skulls and bones.[11] They are sometimes described as having an "early modern" or "nearly modern" anatomy.
Some have conjectured that this may show cross-breeding between anatomically modern humans and Neanderthals, whereas others view the remains as being consistent with an early expansion of modern humans from Africa being more closely related to African fossils such as the Omo remains. Southern Neanderthal remains have been found a few hundred meters[3] away at the Tabun Proximate Kebara Cave, and especially 4 m thick Hayonim Cave deposits yielded Mousterian tools with continuous record from 200,000 years. 5 sources of flint utilized for this lithic industry come from distances 10 – 30 km [12]
Qafzeh cave is one of 21 similar archaeological sites in Levant yielding Levallosian-Mousterian and Levallosian lithic assemblages.[13] In Levent the Levallois technique was used longer during Upper Paleolithic while in Europe was replaced by newer methods of stone tool production. Some explored sites, Keoue, Nahar Ibrahim, Ras-el Keb, Ksar Akil, Adlun, Naame, Yabrud Rockshelter, Umm el Tel, El Kowm, Douara, Jefer Ajla, Deriyeh, Biat Quneitra included caves and open air sites.[14]
100-90 ka Qafzeh left arm point or hold 0.4 m long deer antler shield over (his) neck of right side laying skeleton. The head point to north. Interpreted as burial. On Skhul remains complete boar jaw "clasped on the arms" [15]
See also
- List of fossil sites (with link directory)
- List of hominid fossils
- List of transitional fossils
- List of notable fossils
References
- Site Project on Qafzeh, Gomez, Tara Quinn Danny
- Jebel Qafzeh Cave. Moore, August 2002
- The Origin of Modern Humans: Multiregional and Replacement Theories. Michael Roberts. July 2002
- Minnesota State University - Archaeology sites
- ^ http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=4290541
- ^ 12th in 2005 The Tabun C1 Skeleton: A Levantine Paleolithic Qafzeh 12 Child (Israel) ;AM Tillier - American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2005
- ^ a b Grün, R; Stringer, C; Mcdermott, F; Nathan, R; Porat, N; Robertson, S; Taylor, L; Mortimer, G; Eggins, S; Mcculloch, M (Sep 2005). "U-series and ESR analyses of bones and teeth relating to the human burials from Skhul". Journal of human evolution 49 (3): 316–34. doi:. ISSN 0047-2484. PMID 15970310.
- ^ Bar-Yosef Mayer, E.; Vandermeersch, B.; Bar-Yosef, O. (Mar 2009). "Shells and ochre in Middle Paleolithic Qafzeh Cave, Israel: indications for modern behavior". Journal of human evolution 56 (3): 307–314. doi:. ISSN 0047-2484. PMID 19285591.
- ^ Sivan, D. (2006). "The Glycymeris query along the coast and shallow shelf of Israel, southeast Mediterranean". Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 233: 134–148. doi:.
- ^ The excavation of Qafzeh
- ^ Gugliotta, Guy (July 2008). "The Great Human Migration". Smithsonian 39 (4): 62.
- ^ The Lithic Assemblages of Qafzeh Cave By Erella Hovers page xi
- ^ The Morphometric Affinities of the Qafzeh and Skhul Hominans By Conrad B. Quintyn [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ previus source
- ^ The Origins of Modern Human in the Near East Achievements from Qafzeh, Kebara and Hayonim Caves [3]
- ^ The Lithic Assemblages of Qafzeh Cave By Erella Hovers; page vii
- ^ The Middle Paleolithic: Early modern humans and Neandertals in the Levant;SHEA John J. ISSN 1094-2076 ;2001, vol. 64, no1-2, pp. 38-64 (6 p.1/2)
- ^ doi:10.1073͞pnas.0510792103
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External links
- Qafzeh IX / Skhul 9 Images at Modern Human Origins
- BBC - Cave Colours reveal Mental Leap
- Selected excerpt on Jebel Qafzeh from 'The Neolithic of the Levant' by A.M.T. Moore - Oxford University
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Coordinates: 32°41′17.59″N 35°19′5.67″E / 32.6882194°N 35.3182417°E
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