TY - JOUR
T1 - The first Neanderthal remains from an open-air Middle Palaeolithic site in the Levant
AU - Been, Ella
AU - Hovers, Erella
AU - Ekshtain, Ravid
AU - Malinski-Buller, Ariel
AU - Agha, Nuha
AU - Barash, Alon
AU - Mayer, Daniella E.Bar Yosef
AU - Benazzi, Stefano
AU - Hublin, Jean Jacques
AU - Levin, Lihi
AU - Greenbaum, Noam
AU - Mitki, Netta
AU - Oxilia, Gregorio
AU - Porat, Naomi
AU - Roskin, Joel
AU - Soudack, Michalle
AU - Yeshurun, Reuven
AU - Shahack-Gross, Ruth
AU - Nir, Nadav
AU - Stahlschmidt, Mareike C.
AU - Rak, Yoel
AU - Barzilai, Omry
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 The Author(s).
PY - 2017/12/1
Y1 - 2017/12/1
N2 - The late Middle Palaeolithic (MP) settlement patterns in the Levant included the repeated use of caves and open landscape sites. The fossil record shows that two types of hominins occupied the region during this period - Neandertals and Homo sapiens. Until recently, diagnostic fossil remains were found only at cave sites. Because the two populations in this region left similar material cultural remains, it was impossible to attribute any open-air site to either species. In this study, we present newly discovered fossil remains from intact archaeological layers of the open-air site 'Ein Qashish, in northern Israel. The hominin remains represent three individuals: EQH1, a nondiagnostic skull fragment; EQH2, an upper right third molar (RM3); and EQH3, lower limb bones of a young Neandertal male. EQH2 and EQH3 constitute the first diagnostic anatomical remains of Neandertals at an open-air site in the Levant. The optically stimulated luminescence ages suggest that Neandertals repeatedly visited 'Ein Qashish between 70 and 60 ka. The discovery of Neandertals at open-air sites during the late MP reinforces the view that Neandertals were a resilient population in the Levant shortly before Upper Palaeolithic Homo sapiens populated the region.
AB - The late Middle Palaeolithic (MP) settlement patterns in the Levant included the repeated use of caves and open landscape sites. The fossil record shows that two types of hominins occupied the region during this period - Neandertals and Homo sapiens. Until recently, diagnostic fossil remains were found only at cave sites. Because the two populations in this region left similar material cultural remains, it was impossible to attribute any open-air site to either species. In this study, we present newly discovered fossil remains from intact archaeological layers of the open-air site 'Ein Qashish, in northern Israel. The hominin remains represent three individuals: EQH1, a nondiagnostic skull fragment; EQH2, an upper right third molar (RM3); and EQH3, lower limb bones of a young Neandertal male. EQH2 and EQH3 constitute the first diagnostic anatomical remains of Neandertals at an open-air site in the Levant. The optically stimulated luminescence ages suggest that Neandertals repeatedly visited 'Ein Qashish between 70 and 60 ka. The discovery of Neandertals at open-air sites during the late MP reinforces the view that Neandertals were a resilient population in the Levant shortly before Upper Palaeolithic Homo sapiens populated the region.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85020466276&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41598-017-03025-z
DO - 10.1038/s41598-017-03025-z
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C2 - 28592838
AN - SCOPUS:85020466276
SN - 2045-2322
VL - 7
JO - Scientific Reports
JF - Scientific Reports
IS - 1
M1 - 2958
ER -