New Early Human Site Discovered in Israel

Popular Archaeology ^ | Saturday, December 28, 2013 | Journal of Human Evolution

[SunkenCiv]

A team of Israeli scientists have reported the discovery of a hominin (early human) occupation site near Nesher Ramla, Israel. The site, according to archaeologist Yossi Zaidner of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa and colleagues, presents evidence for human occupation or use during Middle Paleolithic times (about 300,000 to 40 - 50,000 years ago).

Unearthed were numerous finds that comprised an 8-meter deep sequence of "rich and well-preserved lithic [worked stone tool artifacts] and faunal assemblages [animal and early human bones], combustion features [features evidencing use or presence of fire], hundreds of manuports [natural objects moved from their original locations possibly by human agency] and ochre."* Ochre, an iron oxide pigment, was often used for a variety of purposes by prehistoric humans, including the creation of wall paintings.

Using the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating technique, the researchers were able to place habitation or use of the site during the MIS (Marine Isotope Stage) 6-5, or a date range between about 190,000 and 74,000 years ago. Although the type of human was not identified as yet in their report, this time period witnessed activities of both Neanderthals and early modern humans. The lithic artifacts were of the Mousterian tradition, and included Levallois cores, flakes, points, and side-scrapers. They also discovered a "vertebral column in anatomic articulation" and "probable cutmarks observed in the field on an aurochs-sized long bone shaft fragment".* The auroch is a large, extinct type of wild cattle that inhabited Europe, Asia and North Africa...

Kebara cave near Zikhron Ya'akov, for example, has yielded fossilized 60,000-year-old remains of a Neanderthal and lithic artifacts; and the Tabun Cave, near Mount Carmel, contained a Neanderthal-type female dated to about 120,000 years ago.

[SunkenCiv]

Typical example of a Levallois point, found in Beuzeville, Eure, France. Didier Descouens, Wikimedia Commons

[SunkenCiv]

[golux]

I always felt a sort of spiritual power at or from Tel Kudadi, as if there was a sort of an aura of truly anciant history there, right at the mouth of the Yarkon river.

[cloudmountain]

I read about that. MOST interesting.
Imagine all the stuff littered all over the ancient world sites! More and more will be discovered in that especially fertile archeology site of Israel and the other countries of the Near East.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks!

[SunkenCiv]

The Neandertal Enigma
by James Shreeve
in local libraries

"Frayer's own reading of the record reveals a number of overlooked traits that clearly and specifically link the Neandertals to the Cro-Magnons. One such trait is the shape of the opening of the nerve canal in the lower jaw, a spot where dentists often give a pain-blocking injection. In many Neandertal, the upper portion of the opening is covered by a broad bony ridge, a curious feature also carried by a significant number of Cro-Magnons. But none of the alleged 'ancestors of us all' fossils from Africa have it, and it is extremely rare in modern people outside Europe." [pp 126-127]

[null and void]

A few days ago, I sat down at a restaurant and there was a 20-something at the next table who looked darned familiar.

A quick image search revealed why.

She looked astonishingly like:

I asked the waitress if she agreed.

Then showed her and her parents, they were all struck by the resemblance...

[golux]

Sorry. ancient.

[SunkenCiv]

:’) Laz would hit it.