BURIALS: LAGAR VEHLO
28.000 years ago, a child was buried covered in red ochre, surrounded by objects: shells, deer canines, and cooked rabbit bones.
Coincidence? Ritual?
Discover the story in our new YouTube Short!
Photo: João Zilhão and Cidália Duarte. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adp5769
BURIALS: QAFZEH 11
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
BURIALS: AMUD 7
The case of Amud 7 opens a fascinating debate.
This Neanderthal infant, buried around 60,000 years ago in Amud Cave (Israel), was found in anatomical connection—an exceptional preservation for such fragile bones.
On its tiny pelvis appeared something even more striking: the maxilla of a red deer.
Was it a symbolic offering, placed as part of a funerary ritual? Or could it have ended up there by chance?
The skeleton suggests deliberate burial—but the meaning of that deer bone remains open to interpretation.
What do you think?
LA MALIA 2025
The 2025 excavation campaign at the Malia rock shelter in Tamajón, Guadalajara, has come to an end. Each new discovery brings us a step closer to understanding how the first Homo sapiens lived and adapted to life in the heart of the Iberian Peninsula.
We would like to thank those who visited us during the open days, the curious visitors who came to the site, and especially the residents of Tamajón for their generosity and for welcoming us as part of the community. And thank you, thank you very much, to the excavation team. Without them, none of this would be possible.
Here is a summary of the 2025 campaign.
