A recent study using advanced radiocarbon dating has determined the most accurate age yet for the “Lapedo Child,” a significant prehistoric human skeleton. Published in the journal Science Advances on March 7, the results of this research are unlikely to resolve the ongoing debate within the paleoarcheological community.
Who is the Lapedo Child?
The discovery of the Lapedo Child took place in 1998 in the Lapedo Valley in central Portugal. Researchers found a rock shelter at a cliff base containing the nearly intact skeleton of an ancient child, along with items like pierced shells and animal bones that may have been used in a burial ritual. After excavation and analysis, it was determined that the remains belonged to a 4-year-old juvenile who lived around 24,500 years ago.
Further examination revealed that the prehistoric “Lapedo Child” exhibited a unique combination of physical characteristics that suggested a hybrid of human and Neanderthal features. For instance, the child’s lower limbs were more similar to Neanderthals, while the skull closely resembled that of a Homo sapien, especially in terms of teeth and inner ears. Despite this, there were also Neanderthal-like features in the occipital region.
While interbreeding between modern humans and Neanderthals has been documented, the timing posed a challenge in the case of the Lapedo Child. Neanderthals had largely died out about 40,000 years ago, well before the child’s existence. This discrepancy has sparked a longstanding debate among paleoarcheologists.
The two opposing viewpoints have argued over the implications for years, with one side proposing that the Lapedo Child is the offspring of human and Neanderthal parents, while the other side suggests that the genetic traits are inherited from earlier interbreeding events in the family tree.
Hydroxyporline dating
Previous attempts to determine the Lapedo Child’s age using radiocarbon dating had failed, but a new method called hydroxyporline dating has now provided a precise date range. The child is believed to have lived between 27,780 and 28,850 years ago. This new technique focuses on specific amino acids and removes more contaminants than traditional dating methods.
Researchers also applied hydroxyporline dating to animal bone samples from the burial site, including rabbit, horse, and red deer bones.
Paleolithic implications
While the latest findings do not definitively confirm or deny the Lapedo Child’s parentage, additional evidence supporting the hybridization theory has emerged since the initial discovery. The new dating techniques provide a clearer context for the child’s time period and shed light on the Paleolithic community that buried them. Researchers anticipate that hydroxyporline dating will enhance our understanding of humanity’s evolutionary history.
The authors of the study expressed optimism about applying the hydroxyporline dating method to other important Paleolithic human remains, such as those found at the Mladeč Caves in the Czech Republic, as well as the Abri Pataud and Saint Césaire sites in France.
