1991 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Excavation of the Palaeolithic Cave "Dederiyeh" : Palaeoanthropological Researches in Afrin Rift Valley, syria
| Project/Area Number |
01041016
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for international Scientific Research
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | Field Research |
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| Research Institution | The University Museum, The University of Tokyo |
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Principal Investigator |
AKAZAWA Takeru Assoc. Professor ; University of Tokyo, 総合研究資料館, 助教授 (70013753)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
DE LUMLEY Henry Professor ; National Natural Museum, France, 教授
PAYNE Sebastian Assist. Professor ; Cambridge University, 非常勤講師
MUHESEN Sultan Lecturer ; Damascus University, 文学部, 講師
ABDUL-SALAM Adel Professor ; Damascus University, 理学部, 教授
ABE Yoshito Assoc. Professor ; Keio University, 文学部, 助教授 (90175919)
OHNUMA Katsuhiko Assoc. Professor ; Kokushikan University, イラク古代文化研究所, 助教授 (70152204)
MINAGAWA Masao Senior Researcher ; Mitsubishi Kasei Life Science Institute, 生命科学研究所, 室長
DODO Yukio Professor ; Sapporo Medical University, 教授 (50000146)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1989 – 1991
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| Keywords | Neanderthal / modern humans / Syria / Dederiyeh / Levantine / Mousterian / Rift Valley / human evolution |
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| Research Abstract |
Dederiyeh Cave, a large cave site in the Jabal Sam'n of northeastern Syria, was chosen for excavation after an intensive reconnaissance survey in Afrin region in 1987 (Muhesen et al 1988).
The actual excavation work was carried out in two seasons, 1989 and 1990, in order to obtain the basic data concerned with the condition of the cave deposits and their chronological position, and also to examine the possibility of hominoid remains from the cave. These objectives have been designed for a full-scale excavation of the cave in the future.
A number of human skeletal remains designated as Homo sapiens Neanderthalensis have been uncovered together with large quantities of the Levantine Mousterian type industries. The excavation data indicate that the Dederiyeh cave was occupied by Neanderthal groups. This is the first evidence to think about the evolution and dispersal of modern humans in Syria.
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