the Movements of human groups towards the Levante Corridor It facilitated the first known contact between Neanderthal and Homo sapiens. The climatic fluctuations of the Middle Pleistocene turned this region into an obligatory corridor between Africa and Eurasia. Populations advancing from the north were found there Abundant resources and habitable areas.
the Coexistence for a long time He favored genetic exchanges that left traces in the descendants of both lineages. This initial contact opened an evolutionary phase of miscegenation that modified the anatomy and distribution of human groups.
A recent study reopens the debate about the origins of the child’s skull found on Mount Carmel
The article was published in anthropologist this year Describes in detail new research on the skull baby School I, Coming from Mount Carmel. Work directed by Bastien Bouvierapplied CT imaging and 3D reconstruction to compare the neurocranium and jaw with other Homo specimens.
Analyzes show traits consistent with Homo sapiens At the base of the skull and coincides with Neanderthal In the structure of the lower jaw. This duality led the team to propose that the individual belonged to A Mixed palindrome with genetic contributions from both lines.
The original excavations, conducted in 1931 byP. Dorothy Jarrod and Theodore McCownSkhul was illuminated along with nine other human remains. The group appeared in a funerary chamber with evidence of intentional burials, making this discovery an archaeological discovery Oldest known graves. The girl, aged between 3 and 5 years, was carefully placed in a shared grave for adults and minors, evidence of complex social practices at an early stage of humanity.
Detailed morphological comparison reveals A A neurocranium with a Neanderthal-like vascular shape and a bony labyrinth close to that of Neanderthals. Homo sapiens. The posteriorly oblique foramen magnum is reminiscent of the specimen of Kabwe I Homo rodiensis. The jaw, on the other hand, has a sunken alveolar plane and teeth arranged in a wide arc, features associated with archaic forms. This mix It does not fit neatly into any known genreWhich leads us to think about a hybrid population group that settled in the Levant.
Experts disagree about the genetic interpretation and authenticity of the skull attributed to Skhul I
Paleontologist Israel HershkowitzExplained by Tel Aviv University BBC World That “the first encounter between Neanderthals and… Homo sapiens It happened about 140,000 years ago, much earlier than previously thought. He added, “The girl is Skhul, I represent her.”Population approx The wise one With a higher percentage of Neanderthal genes“His team proposes to maintain its own category for this population, called… I’m going to use Eudemoawaiting DNA studies to confirm the hypothesis.
Spanish researcher Antonio Rosasof the National Museum of Natural Sciences, qualifies these conclusions. He points out that “genetic determination of anatomy is complex, and is not usually distributed tightly between the skull and jaw.” It is suggested that the jaw attributed to Skhul I can It belongs to another Neanderthal embedded in the same burial. Also remember that confirming hybridization requires direct genomic data, which still does not exist for this fossil.
Despite the discrepancies, Skhul’s first discovery expands the time frame for contact between both species Raises new questions On the social organization of these groups. The fact that a minor received the same funerary treatment as an adult indicates the existence of a society with a sense of belonging and respect for all its members.
This practice, documented 140,000 years ago, predicts behaviors that will occur later Characterized by contemporary human populations It helps to understand how the coexistence of different lineages shaped the common evolutionary history of species.