Caves have provided ancient humans (and our ancestors) with shelter, gathering places, protection from predator’s, and much more for millennia.

This makes them an ideal place for archeologists to look for human remains, fossils, and other things that can help us to learn more about life in these prehistoric times.

One cave in what is now Western Galilee, Israel known as Manot Cave was used by humans for at least 55,000 years. This cave system has been studied for decades, and in 2015, scientists located a skull from 55,000 years ago. This skull offered physical evidence that there was interbreeding between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens.

The cave has a large main hall, which is believed to be where people lived. This hall was located just inside of the large entrance.

Then, located eight stories down, there was an area that seemed to have been used for ancient rituals. The area has a rock with carvings to make it look like a tortoise shell. It was placed in a niche within the cavern.

Omry Barzilai, the Head of Material Culture PaleoLab at the University of Haifa and the Israel Antiquities Authority put out a statement in which they said:

“It may have represented a totem or spiritual figure. Its special location, far from the daily activities near the cave entrance, suggests that it was an object of worship.”

The stalagmites in the area also have wood ash on them, which indicates that the people who lived in the area would bring torches to provide light to the otherwise pitch-dark area. The room also has excellent acoustics, making it an ideal location for large gatherings of people.

A study was conducted on these caves, which was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

I would love to visit this amazing cave system.

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