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Lower Palaeolithic Neanderthal maxilla
Two pieces joined of a fragment of the right maxilla of a child aged 8, with an unworn upper first molar and a worn decidous upper second molar in place.
The teeth of an eight year old Neanderthal boy. They were found by archaeologists excavating in Pontnewydd Cave, north-east Wales.
Neanderthals are one branch of the human evolutionary tree that is thought to have died out approximately 36,000 years ago. Our own species shared a common ancestor with Neanderthals, but did not evolve from them.
These are the oldest human remains from Britain. The jaw fragment is around 230,000 years old. Excavations of the cave have revealed a large quantity of stone tools. These include handaxes, typically used as butchery tools, scrapers for cleaning skins, knives and spear-points.
At this time the climate was beginning to deteriorate. Common animals at the time included bears, wolves, rhinoceros, leopards, horses, bison and Norway lemming.
WA_SC 1.4
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Site Name: Pontnewydd Cave, St Asaph
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