Groundbreaking research at the Boker Tachtit site in Ein Avdat National Park in the Negev Desert published this week provides the first proof that Neanderthals and modern humans coexisted, and pinpoints the time when modern humans left Africa – 50,000 years ago.
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In the period known as the Middle Palaeolithic, 250,000–50,000 years ago, two humanoid species overlapped: the Neanderthals, Homo sapiens. Neanderthals lived in Europe and Central Asia, whereas modern man lived in Africa. The Middle East, and the region of Israel in particular, were at the limits of the distribution of these two species and they therefore also contain remnants of the two populations at different times.
The new researched, published in the prestigious scientific journal PNAS, is led by Professor Elisabetta Boaretto of the Weizmann Institute of Science and Dr. Omry Barzilai of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Genetic studies have shown that modern humans and Neanderthals encountered each other in the geographical region of Eurasia (which includes Israel) and even exchanged genes. But until now, the exact time and place of these encounters have remained unknown.
"Boker Tachtit is the first known site reached by modern man outside Africa, which is why the site and its precise dating are so important," said Barzilai, who directs the excavation at the Boker Tachtit site on behalf of the IAA.
"The dating of the site to 50,000 years ago proves that modern man lived in the Negev at the same time as Neanderthal man, who we know inhabited the region in the same period. There is no doubt that, as they dwelt in and moved around the Negev, the two species were aware of each other's existence. Our research on the Boker Tachtit site places an important, well-defined reference point on the timeline of human evolution," Barzilai said.
DNA studies show that about 60,000 years ago, groups of modern humans began to migrate from Africa to Asia and Europe and from there to the rest of the world, which ultimately led to the disappearance of Neanderthals and their assimilation into the modern human population. The research hypothesized that along the migration routes, there was short-term interactions between the ancient peoples and cultures that included genetic exchange. The present study is the first to confirm this hypothesis, proving that at least one of these intercultural encounters occurred in the Negev some 50,000 years ago.
"What was the nature of the encounter we have identified between the two human species? Did Neanderthals throughout the country become naturally extinct, merging with modern man, or did they disappear in violent ways? These questions will continue to concern us as researchers in the coming years," Barzilai concluded.
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