Israeli researchers have discovered the remains of a new species of prehistoric man – Telam

Scientists named the discovery “Nesher Ramla”. (image file)

Remains of some sort of prehistoric man, until now unknown to science, were found by Israeli researchers, who provide new information on the course of human evolution, it was reported on Thursday.

Archaeological excavations near the central town of Ramla, led by a team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has discovered prehistoric remains that do not correspond to any known species of Homo, including modern humans (Homo sapiens), AFP news agency reported.

In a study published in the journal Science, anthropologists and archaeologists at Tel Aviv University, led by Yossi Zaidner, they named the find “Nesher ramla“, by the site where the remains were found.

“At the same time, this type of Homo is very different from modern humans, with a completely different skull structure, no chin and very large teeth, “they said.

In addition to human remains, excavations have uncovered a large number of animal bones and stone tools, AFP added.

“Archaeological findings associated with human fossils show that Nesher Ramla Homo had advanced techniques for producing stone tools and possibly interacted with Homo sapiens,” Zaidner said.

“We would never have imagined that with Homo sapiens, an archaic Homo would haunt the earth at such an advanced stage in human history,” he added.

Researchers have suggested that some fossils previously found in Israel, dating back as far as 400,000 years, may belong to the same type of prehistoric human.

The discovery of Nesher Ramla challenges theory that Neanderthals first appeared in Europe before migrating south, according to AFP.

“Our results suggest that the famous West European Neanderthals are the only remains of a much larger population that lived here in the Levant, and not the other way around,” said anthropologist Israel Hershkovitz of Tel Aviv University. .

Tel Aviv University dentist and anthropologist Rachel Sarig said the findings indicate that “as a crossroads between Africa, Europe and Asia, the land of Israel served as a melting pot. where different human populations mixed together and then spread throughout the Old World. ”