400,000 yr-old half-skull points to mystery people

400,000 year old 1/2 skull is a possible ancestor of the neanderthals. This is the oldest human cranium fossil ever to be found in Portugal.

Miami (AFP) - The discovery of a 400,000-year-old half skull in Portugal has offered tantalizing hints about a possible ancestor of the Neanderthals, researchers said Monday.

The fossil was unearthed from the Aroeira cave site, and marks the oldest human cranium fossil ever found in Portugal, said the report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed US journal.

www.yahoo.com...

Ahh the species is in question, Rolf Quam of Binghamton U thinks it is related to the Neanderthals. Maybe a later Neanderthal according to the features of the skull.

"There is a lot of question about which species these fossils represent. I tend to think of them as ancestors of the Neanderthals," co-author Rolf Quam, an anthropologist at Binghamton University, State University of New York, told AFP.

"It is not a Neanderthal itself," he added. "It has some features that might be related to the later Neanderthals," including a lump of bone near the ear called the mastoid process.

Also, an x-ray of the skull can be seen in the OP's avatar.

Awesome find, I still think humans have been here for a lot longer than that.

a reply to: seasonal

"There is a lot of question about which species these fossils represent.

Primarily because dating a 'fossil' is different than dating actual bone.

When these discoveries are made it is nearly impossible to date the artifact because minerals have replaced the object a long time ago.

They try and date stuff 'nearby' to come to a possible time frame but really, they always end up with the above disclaimer...

"We're not sure."

a reply to: rexsblues

You are more than likely right, If anything does not fit the current gangs (archeologist) feelings it is discarded.

In archeology if it doesn't fit it doesn't exist.

great... more evidence to push the change in thinking..

I wonder how long till it gets "lost"...

a reply to: seasonal

Your probably privy to these guys... I think that a couple hundred years from now that names like Graham Hancock, John Anthony West and Robert Schoch will be revered by scholars.

a reply to: rexsblues

It is amazing to me that they hold on to flawed info. Like the Sphinx and the water erosion.

Sorry but a "yahoo" article didn't do it for me.
It'll be interesting where in the family tree they finally "place" the remains.

A large international research team, directed by the Portuguese archaeologist João Zilhão and including Binghamton University anthropologist Rolf Quam, has found the oldest fossil human cranium in Portugal, marking an important contribution to knowledge of human evolution during the middle Pleistocene in Europe and to the origin of the Neandertals.
The cranium represents the westernmost human fossil ever found in Europe during the middle Pleistocene epoch and one of the earliest on this continent to be associated with the Acheulean stone tool industry. In contrast to other fossils from this same time period, many of which are poorly dated or lack a clear archaeological context, the cranium discovered in the cave of Aroeira in Portugal is well-dated to 400,000 years ago and appeared in association with abundant faunal remains and stone tools, including numerous bifaces (handaxes).
"This is an interesting new fossil discovery from the Iberian Peninsula, a crucial region for understanding the origin and evolution of the Neandertals," said Quam, an associate professor of anthropology at Binghamton University, State University of New York. "The Aroeira cranium is the oldest human fossil ever found in Portugal and shares some features with other fossils from this same time period in Spain, France and Italy. The Aroeria cranium increases the anatomical diversity in the human fossil record from this time period, suggesting different populations showed somewhat different combinations of features."


Read more at: phys.org...

phys.org...

a reply to: Caver78

I can imagine the work going on here is going to be huge. I hope they are honest when they guess where and who this belongs to.

originally posted by: rexsblues
a reply to: seasonal

Your probably privy to these guys... I think that a couple hundred years from now that names like Graham Hancock, John Anthony West and Robert Schoch will be revered by scholars.

Really, I think that a couple of hundred years from now they will be known for what they are, journalists with no relevant training making up bull# to sell to the ignorant
Well, that's how they are regarded now..


This claim for instance

originally posted by: seasonal
a reply to: rexsblues

You are more than likely right, If anything does not fit the current gangs (archeologist) feelings it is discarded.

In archeology if it doesn't fit it doesn't exist.

Did you read that in one of their books or do you actually have any evidence that it happens
Maybe you should read an archaeological report at some point, you'd probably be surprised at how much underhanded stuff doesn't happen.
I mean. you seem to not know what you're talking about
In fact this skull fits right in the range for Homo Heidelbergensis, which is the known progenitor to Neanderthal, so the framework already exists to slot this into
Like here, the discovery of a thighbone, not a million miles away from this find which was identified as Heidelbergensis and is also 400,000 years old


So the only mystery here, is why is the newspaper claiming its a mystery, because you know, newspapers never make anything up to sell copy do they, That's newspapers, who employ journalists, like Graham Hancock, John Anthony West, Zechariah Sitchin, David Hatcher Childress and pretty much all of the others you think are fantastic..

a reply to: Marduk

The theory of evolution. Lucy. The sphinx.

originally posted by: seasonal
a reply to: Marduk

The theory of evolution.

Wow really, you have to go back over a 150 years to make this claim and it was a claim of science versus religion. Science at no time tried to cover it up or discard it

originally posted by: seasonal
Lucy.

Again, science didn't try to cover this up or discard it

originally posted by: seasonal
The sphinx.

presumably you're talking about your belief that the sphinx is older, whether that's right or wrong, there isn't a cover up in place to stop you hearing about it and the evidence was weighed and found to be ludicrous, you just didn't listen to the scientific evidence because you're a Graham Hancock fanboy. Science didn't discard the evidence, it was never scientific to begin with

If I could prove to you that Hancock knowingly lies in his books, would you have a rethink ?

a reply to: Marduk

Take a whole breath. I'm no fan boy.

Ignoring evidence, is the same as making evidence up.

Cool find, I've often wondered just how much of the Neanderthals' line we're still missing. Some of us on this rock ARE part Neanderthal due to regional origins, so it's kind of all about knowing who we really are both as modern humans and single individuals, are far back as we can feasibly trace. Getting in touch with our roots, in a way.

As to the erm, alt archaeology s#. I was all over Hancock like flies on horse crap until I read Chariots of The Gods. After that, I figured he was either a shyster, idiot or both. I'll leave the ACTUAL archaeological debating up to members who actually studied for & do it & know WTF they're talking about (like Byrd, man the Byrd signal!)

originally posted by: Nyiah I'll leave the ACTUAL archaeological debating up to members who actually studied for & do it & know WTF they're talking about (like Byrd, man the Byrd signal!)

She could probably woman the Byrd signal

originally posted by: Marduk

originally posted by: Nyiah I'll leave the ACTUAL archaeological debating up to members who actually studied for & do it & know WTF they're talking about (like Byrd, man the Byrd signal!)

She could probably woman the Byrd signal

M'kay, I give. I'm missing a punchline somewhere, aren't I?

originally posted by: Nyiah

originally posted by: Marduk

originally posted by: Nyiah I'll leave the ACTUAL archaeological debating up to members who actually studied for & do it & know WTF they're talking about (like Byrd, man the Byrd signal!)

She could probably woman the Byrd signal

M'kay, I give. I'm missing a punchline somewhere, aren't I?

You're missing Byrd is a woman

originally posted by: Marduk

originally posted by: Nyiah

originally posted by: Marduk

originally posted by: Nyiah I'll leave the ACTUAL archaeological debating up to members who actually studied for & do it & know WTF they're talking about (like Byrd, man the Byrd signal!)

She could probably woman the Byrd signal

M'kay, I give. I'm missing a punchline somewhere, aren't I?

You're missing Byrd is a woman

No I'm not, I know she is. I'm not sure why Byrd would be flashing her own tongue-in-cheek signal here when others would for her to pop in with info? It's like the Phage signal here...

a reply to: Nyiah

I'll leave the ACTUAL archaeological debating up to members who actually studied for & do it & know WTF they're talking about (like Byrd, man the Byrd signal!)

thats what we all do.

originally posted by: rexsblues
Also, an x-ray of the skull can be seen in the OP's avatar.

Awesome find, I still think humans have been here for a lot longer than that.

I thought OP's avatar was Homer Simpson.