| has gloss | eng: The Skhul remains were discovered between 1929 and 1935 at a cave located at Es Skhul in Israel. The remains of 7 adults and 3 children were found, some of which may have been deliberate burials. The remains are quite robust exhibiting a mix of archaic and modern traits; they have been tentatively dated at about 80,000-120,000 years old using electron spin resonance and thermoluminescence dating techniques. The brain case is similar to modern humans, but they possess brow ridges and a projecting facial profile, similar to the Neanderthals. Initially they were regarded as transitional fossils between Neanderthals and modern humans. However they are now regarded as a separate lineage from the Neanderthals as Neanderthal remains have been found nearby that date to 60,000-40,000 years ago. This may indicate that these humans were later displaced by Neanderthals. Assemblages of perforated Nassarius shells significantly different from local fauna have also been recovered from the area, suggesting that these hominins may have employed the shells symbolically as beads. |
