Evolution & Human Origins

A rare prehistoric cave, estimated to be around 300,000 years old, is a “time capsule,” sealed for hundreds of thousands of years. A research team from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), the Zinman Institute of Archaeology, and the University of Haifa believes that the site will offer a unique glimpse into a little-known chapter of human evolution. Pre-Neanderthal human-like creatures, estimated to have lived up to 400,000 years ago, once inhabited the cave. It is one of only a handful of sites from this little-known period accessible to scientists. Located on the outskirts of the town of Fureidis in northern Israel, the cave was in the way of upcoming construction projects until archaeologists intervened. Researchers Dated the Cave to 400,000