Day: October 15, 2025

Qafzeh 11 is another case that raises fascinating questions about symbolism in Paleolithic burials.

This adolescent, around 12 or 13 years old, was buried about 90,000 years ago in Qafzeh Cave (Galilee, Israel). The body lay on its back, legs bent, with a large limestone block resting over them.

On the chest, archaeologists found a unique discovery: a cranial fragment with deer antlers, in direct contact with the right hand.

Was it a symbolic offering?Or a coincidental element of the surroundings?

The debate remains open…  What do you think?

Image: Bernard Vandermeersch et Ofer Bar-Yosef, « The Paleolithic Burials at Qafzeh Cave, Israel », PALEO [En ligne], 30-1 | 2019, http://journals.openedition.org/paleo/4848 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/paleo.4848