During archaeological excavations near the city of Ramle, in central Israel, the team of Dr. Yossi Zeidner, of the Department of Archeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, discovered prehistoric human remains that they had not found. They cannot be attributed to any known species of the genus Homo.
In a study published in the journal Science, a team of anthropologists from Tel Aviv University and Dr. Zeidner’s team have identified a new species of the genus Homo, Publisher Ramla
, from the name of the site where it was found.
Scientists have discovered that the discovered human bones date back to between 140 thousand and 120 thousand years before our era.
They share common characteristics with Neanderthals at the level of the teeth and jaw in particular, but also with other ancient species at the level of the skull.
The study said it differed from modern humans by the absence of a chin, skull structure and very large teeth.
The excavation site where the fossilized bones of Nesher Ramla were found.
Photo: AP / Yossi Zaidner
The authors claim that they also found, at a depth of eight metres, a large amount of animal bones, horses, deer, arches as well as stone tools.
For Dr. Zeidner, that’s It shows that Homo Nesher Ramla possessed advanced techniques for producing stone tools and likely interacted with local Homo sapiensens
.
This discovery is especially astonishing, because it shows us that there are several types of human living in the same place and at the same time in this later stage of human evolution.
According to the study, many other fossils previously discovered in Israel with similar characteristics can be attributed to this new type of human.
The discovery of Nesher Ramla questions the distinct hypothesis that Neanderthals appeared in Europe who might have migrated south.
Nesher Ramla fossils make us question this theory, suggesting that the ancestors of European Neanderthals actually lived in the Levant 400,000 years ago.
Professor Israel Hershkowitz of Tel Aviv University explains.
In fact, our findings suggest that the famous Neanderthals of Western Europe are nothing but the remains of a much larger population that once lived here in the Levant – not the other way around.
Small groups of Homo Nesher Ramla migrated to Europe – where they evolved into Neanderthals classics
which we know well, as well as in Asia, where they became ancient groups with characteristics similar to those of Neanderthals, explains Dr. Rachel Sarrig of Tel Aviv University, one of the study’s authors.
A crossroads between Africa, Europe, and Asia, the Land of Israel was a melting pot of various human groups before later spreading throughout the ancient world.
Professor Hershkowitz concludes that the discovery of a new species of man is of great scientific interest, as it allows adding another piece to the puzzle of human evolution and understanding human migrations in the ancient world.
