Neanderthal remains found in in Italian cave

One of the Neanderthal skulls found at the site in 1939. Image: Ghedoghedo (Wikimedia), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Italian archaeologists have found the remains of 9 Neanderthals in a cave in Italy. They’re believed to be the victims of local hyenas.

The bones – skullcaps and broken jawbones among other things – were found in the Guattari cave, 100 km south of Rome. In 1939, Neanderthal remains were found at Guattari for the first time, and this is the second time it’s happened.

The finds

According to scientists from the Archaeological Superintendency of Latina and the University of Tor Vergata in Rome, the bones belong to seven adult males, one adult female and a young boy. These people weren’t all from the same period: the oldest bones are believed to be 100,000 years old and the youngest 50-68,000 years old.

The archaeologists also found traces of vegetables, rhinoceroses, giant deer and the aforementioned hyenas at the site. They believe that the cave was the hyenas’ den, where they took their Neanderthal prey after killing them. Further research is now being done on the bones to hopefully learn more about their lives.

Source: The Guardian

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