Ancient history

Saint-Césaire | anthropological and archaeological site, France

Saint-Césaire , southwest paleoanthropological site France, where in 1979 the remains of a young adult male Neanderthal were found buried in a small pit. The skeleton was recovered during archaeological salvage digs at the back of the Roche-à-Pierrot rock shelter near the village of Saint-Césaire. It's significant because it's related to tools and other artifacts that earlier only with people of the early modern period ( Homo sapiens ) and not with Neanderthals ( H. neanderthalensis ). Despite the inland location, a shell buried with the individual was found.

The skeleton dates from about 36,000 years ago. Although heavily minced, most skeletal pieces have been included. The individual shows the characteristics typical of European Neanderthals. However, its teeth are modest for a Neanderthal, and its forehead region and jaws are lightly built, suggesting a reduction of the face relative to earlier Neanderthals. Moreover, the limb bones resemble those of the early modern period, suggesting a change in locomotion and arm use patterns. These anatomical changes relative to ancestral Neanderthals are consistent with a pattern also seen in Central European Late Neanderthals. The tools found in Saint-Césaire can do this confirm certain behavioral changes suggested by the anatomical changes. The discovery of Saint-Césaire has led some researchers to conclude that the Neanderthals were not only able, but also responsible for some cultural evolutions usually associated with humans associated with the early modern period. Subsequent discoveries at other sites, such as the Grotte du Renne in Arcy-sur-Cure, France, support this claim.