Lapedo child
Encyclopedia
The Lapedo child is a complete pre-historical skeleton found in Portugal. In 1998, the discovery of an early Upper Paleolithic
human burial at Abrigo do Lagar Velho
, by the team led by pre-history archeologist João Zilhão, has provided evidence of early modern humans from the west of the Iberian Peninsula
. The remains, the largely complete skeleton of an approximately 4-year-old child, buried with pierced shell and red ochre
, is dated to ca. 24,500 years BP
. The cranium, mandible, dentition
, and postcrania
present a mosaic of European early modern human and Neanderthal
features.
This (morphological) mosaic indicates admixture between late archaic and early modern humans in Iberia, refuting hypotheses of complete replacement of the Neandertals by early modern humans and underlining the complexities of the cultural and biological processes and events that were involved in modern human emergence.
This is contested by several scientists including Prof. Dr. C.P.E. Zollikofer of the University of Zurich
who concluded the skeleton does not reveal Neanderthal affinities. Genetic work from a decade later have shown that there has indeed been instances of admixture between Neanderthas and modern humans, bringing the hybrid hypothesis back within the realm of the possible.
Upper Paleolithic
The Upper Paleolithic is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. Very broadly it dates to between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago, roughly coinciding with the appearance of behavioral modernity and before the advent of...
human burial at Abrigo do Lagar Velho
Abrigo do Lagar Velho
Lagar Velho is rock-shelter in the Lapedo valley, a limestone canyon 13 km from the centre of Leiria, in the municipality of Leiria, in central Portugal...
, by the team led by pre-history archeologist João Zilhão, has provided evidence of early modern humans from the west of the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. The remains, the largely complete skeleton of an approximately 4-year-old child, buried with pierced shell and red ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
, is dated to ca. 24,500 years BP
Before Present
Before Present years is a time scale used in archaeology, geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred. Because the "present" time changes, standard practice is to use AD 1950 as the origin of the age scale, reflecting the fact that radiocarbon...
. The cranium, mandible, dentition
Dentition
Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age...
, and postcrania
Postcrania
Postcrania[p] in zoology and vertebrate paleontology refers to all or part of the skeleton apart from the skull. Frequently, fossil remains, e.g...
present a mosaic of European early modern human and Neanderthal
Neanderthal
The Neanderthal is an extinct member of the Homo genus known from Pleistocene specimens found in Europe and parts of western and central Asia...
features.
This (morphological) mosaic indicates admixture between late archaic and early modern humans in Iberia, refuting hypotheses of complete replacement of the Neandertals by early modern humans and underlining the complexities of the cultural and biological processes and events that were involved in modern human emergence.
This is contested by several scientists including Prof. Dr. C.P.E. Zollikofer of the University of Zurich
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
who concluded the skeleton does not reveal Neanderthal affinities. Genetic work from a decade later have shown that there has indeed been instances of admixture between Neanderthas and modern humans, bringing the hybrid hypothesis back within the realm of the possible.
External links
- Article in Athena Review (from WayBack MachineWayback machineThe WABAC Machine refers to a fictional machine from the cartoon segment Peabody's Improbable History, an ongoing feature of the 1960's cartoon series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. The WABAC Machine is a plot device used to transport the characters Mr. Peabody and Sherman back in time...
). Accessed on June 21st, 2009. - Images in Instituto Português de Arqueologia. Accessed on June 21st, 2009. - page is no longer available
- Computerized reconstruction and geometric-morphometric analysis of the Lagar Velho child skeleton. Accessed on June 21st, 2009.