Amud

▪ anthropological and archaeological site, Israel

      paleoanthropological site in Israel known for its human remains, which provide important evidence of the diversification and development of southwestern Asian Neanderthals. The site is centred on Amud Cave, overlooking the Amud Gorge (Wādi el ʿAmud) just northwest of Lake Tiberias (Galilee, Sea of) (Sea of Galilee).

      University of Tokyo expeditions to the site in 1961 and 1964 unearthed Neanderthal skeletal remains dating from about 50,000 to 70,000 years ago. The principal finds consist of a skeleton (designated Amud 1) of an adult male about 25 years old, along with a fragment of another adult jaw and skull fragments of two infants. Amud 1 has a cranial capacity of about 1,740 cubic cm (106 cubic inches), which is significantly larger than the average capacity of modern humans. Nonetheless, the skull has Neanderthal features, with browridges and a receding forehead. Though the bones are incomplete, the height of Amud 1 has been estimated at 172–177 cm (68–70 inches).

      In 1991 a joint Israeli and American expedition began new excavations. The following year workers uncovered the partial skeleton of an 8- to 10-month-old Neanderthal baby (Amud 7), upon whose pelvis had been placed the maxilla of a red deer, apparently as a burial rite. Further evidence of Neanderthal habitation and Mousterian toolmaking (Mousterian industry) were revealed, including flaked blades and points as well as deer, cattle, horse, pig, and fox remains. Other hominin remains have been uncovered nearby in the Emireh, Shovakh, and Zuttiyeh caves.

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