Mugharet el-Zuttiyeh

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Entrance to Zuttiyeh cave, Galilee
A cast of the Galilee skull, Israel Museum[1]

Mugharet el-Zuttiyeh ("Cave of the Robbers")[2] is a prehistoric archaeological site in Upper Galilee, Israel.[3] It is situated 0.8 km from the Nahal Amud outlet, approximately 30 m above the wadi bed (148 m below sea level). It was found to house a fossil today known as the "Galilee skull" and "Galilee Man".[4] Discovered in 1925, the skull was the first ancient fossilised hominin (primitive man) found in Western Asia.[5] Together with the remains found at Es Skhul and the Wadi el-Mughara Caves, this find was classified in 1939 by Arthur Keith and [[{{{1}}}]][] as Palaeoanthropus palestinensis (Palestinian Neanderthal).[6][7][8] Today its taxonomy is that of Homo heidelbergensis.[9]

Geography

Zuttiyeh cave is at the opening of a limestone ravine where Nahal Amud turns eastward, 250 meters above a smaller cave known as Mugharet el-Emireh (Cave of the Princess).[10]

History

The cave was excavated in 1925-1926 by Francis Turville-Petre.[9] It was the first paleontological excavation in the region.[11] Turville-Petre discovered a skull, referred to as the Galilee skull, that was initially described as the second Neanderthal-like specimen. It was originally attributed to a Mousterian level and is now thought to be from an earlier Acheulo-Yabrudian complex. Later studies showed that the face was relatively flat, with no evidence of Neanderthal-like facial prognathism.[9]

The frontal bone and part of the upper face were found in the Mugharan level, which leads to an estimate of the age of the fossil to range from 300-200 Ka BP. Similarities with Zhoukoudian remains suggest a possible ancestral relationship.[12]

The Galilee skull, along with many of Turville-Petre's findings, is housed in the Rockefeller Museum in East Jerusalem.[4][5] A cast of the skull is on display at the Israel Museum.[1]

See also

References

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  8. The stone age of Mount Carmel : report of the Joint Expedition of the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem and the American School of Prehistoric Research, 1929–1934, p18
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Further reading

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External links

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