Jebel Irhoud
Encyclopedia
Jebel Irhoud is an archaeological
cave site located near Sidi Moktar, about 100 km west of Marrakesh, Morocco
. Since circa 1991 7 significant hominid fossil
s have been discovered, and are currently dated to circa 160,000 years ago. The fossils include portions of two adult skulls (Irhoud 1 and Irhoud 2), a child’s mandible (Irhoud 3), and a child’s humerus
(Irhoud 4). The significance of the original discoveries of Irhoud 1, 2 & 3, (found during quarrying for Barytes) was not fully understood until 2007, as they were initially considered to be North African Neandertals. They are now grouped with other early anatomically modern humans
such as Omo Kibush 1 & 2
and Homo sapiens idaltu
at Herto Bouri in Ethiopia, Qafzeh and Es Skhul
in Israel
.
In 2007, the Max Planck Institute announced that Synchrotron
analysis of a tooth from the Irhoud 3 child's mandible revealed that 'long childhood' and consequent brain and social development was a key element in the earliest Homo sapiens.
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
cave site located near Sidi Moktar, about 100 km west of Marrakesh, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. Since circa 1991 7 significant hominid fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s have been discovered, and are currently dated to circa 160,000 years ago. The fossils include portions of two adult skulls (Irhoud 1 and Irhoud 2), a child’s mandible (Irhoud 3), and a child’s humerus
Humerus
The humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow....
(Irhoud 4). The significance of the original discoveries of Irhoud 1, 2 & 3, (found during quarrying for Barytes) was not fully understood until 2007, as they were initially considered to be North African Neandertals. They are now grouped with other early anatomically modern humans
Anatomically modern humans
The term anatomically modern humans in paleoanthropology refers to early individuals of Homo sapiens with an appearance consistent with the range of phenotypes in modern humans....
such as Omo Kibush 1 & 2
Omo remains
The Omo remains are a collection of hominid bones discovered between 1967 and 1974 at the Kibish sites near the Omo River, Omo National Park in south-western Ethiopia. The bones were recovered by a scientific team from the Kenya National Museums directed by Richard Leakey and others...
and Homo sapiens idaltu
Homo sapiens idaltu
Homo sapiens idaltu is an extinct subspecies of Homo sapiens that lived almost 160,000 years ago in Pleistocene Africa. is from the Saho-Afar word meaning "elder or first born"....
at Herto Bouri in Ethiopia, Qafzeh and Es Skhul
Es Skhul
Es Skhul is a cave site situated c. 20 kilometers south of the city of Haifa, Israel, and c. 3 kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea. The prehistoric site, was first excavated by Dorothy Garrod in the summer of 1928...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
In 2007, the Max Planck Institute announced that Synchrotron
Synchrotron
A synchrotron is a particular type of cyclic particle accelerator in which the magnetic field and the electric field are carefully synchronised with the travelling particle beam. The proton synchrotron was originally conceived by Sir Marcus Oliphant...
analysis of a tooth from the Irhoud 3 child's mandible revealed that 'long childhood' and consequent brain and social development was a key element in the earliest Homo sapiens.
See also
- List of fossil sites (with link directory)
- List of hominina (hominid) fossils (with images)
- List of transitional fossils
- List of notable fossils