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Within the limestone chambers of Tinshemet Cave, archaeologists have uncovered a prehistoric social network that’s got experts rethinking what they know about our ancient relatives.

The cave, nestled in the hills of central Israel, has yielded the first Middle Palaeolithic human burials discovered in over half a century – complete with mysterious artifacts and evidence that turns conventional wisdom about early humans on its head.

“Our data show that human connections and population interactions have been fundamental in driving cultural and technological innovations throughout history,” explains Prof. Yossi Zaidner of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who describes Israel as a “melting pot” where different human groups met, interacted and evolved together.

Since 2017, a team led by Zaidner, Prof. Israel Hershkovitz of Tel Aviv University, and Dr. Marion Prévost of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has been carefully excavating the site, hoping to answer a crucial question: Were our ancestors rivals, peaceful neighbors, or perhaps even collaborators?

By analyzing stone tools, hunting methods, symbolic practices and social structures, the researchers have concluded that Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens didn’t just grudgingly share territory – they actively influenced each other’s lives, technologies and even burial customs.

The discovery of a cluster of burials that took place within Tinshemet Cave has researchers wondering whether the site may have functioned as an early cemetery. Stone tools, animal bones and chunks of ochre deliberately placed in burial pits hint at the possibility of early spiritual beliefs.

The research also suggests that the burial customs used at Tinshemet cave by our ancestors may have led to the widespread development of burial customs throughout pre-historic Israel.

As excavations continue at Tinshemet Cave, researchers hope to uncover even more insights into this prehistoric melting pot where our ancestors first learned to share knowledge, technology and maybe even their views on life and death.

The research paper has been published in Nature Human Behaviour.

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The post New dig prompts rethink of how Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens got on appeared first on ISRAEL21c.

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