Dederiyeh 1

Dederiyeh 1

Exhibit item

Site: 

Dederiyeh, Syria

Date of discovery: 

1993

Discovered by: 

A team led by Takeru Akazawa

Age: 

Between 70,000 and 50,000 years old

Species: 

Homo neanderthalensis

Growing up human-style

This skull is from the skeleton of a two-year-old Neanderthal who grew at a rate similar to that of modern humans, with a long childhood. We can tell this because the leg bones of this child are about the same length as those of a modern two-year-old, indicating that this young Neanderthal was growing at a modern human rate. As childhood lengthened, parents devoted more time and energy to caring for the young.

Image Credit: Chip Clark, Smithsonian Institution