A 28,000-year-old skeleton with a mix of Neanderthal and human features has been dated to around this time using a new chemical method. The discovery, made at the Lagar Velho rock-shelter in central Portugal, challenges earlier theories about the burial rituals surrounding the “Lapedo child.”
Researchers used compound-specific radiocarbon analysis (CSRA) to determine the age of the skeleton, which was previously thought to be around 20,000 years old. The new dates range from 25,830 to 26,600 B.C.
The skeleton exhibited a mosaic of Neanderthal and human features, such as a prominent chin like humans but short, stocky legs like Neanderthals.
A team of researchers re-dated three items associated with the burial ritual, including a young rabbit bone found on top of the child’s body. The new analysis showed that only the rabbit bone was contemporaneous with the Lapedo child.
The researchers believe that the rabbit may have been placed as an offering before the grave was filled around 28,000 years ago.
This discovery provides new insights into the replacement process between Neanderthals and modern humans.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/28-000-year-old-neanderthal-and-human-lapedo-child-lived-tens-of-thousands-of-years-after-our-closest-relatives-went-extinct