Sites of Human Evolution at Mount Carmel: The Nahal Me’arot / Wadi el-Mughara Caves

Map

Unraveling Human History: The Sites of Human Evolution at Mount Carmel: The Nahal Me'arot / Wadi el-Mughara Caves

The Sites of Human Evolution at Mount Carmel, specifically the Nahal Me'arot / Wadi el-Mughara Caves, offer a captivating glimpse into the rich tapestry of human history. Located on the western slopes of Mount Carmel in northern Israel, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is a treasure trove of archaeological findings that span over half a million years.

More to come…

UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Situated on the western slopes of the Mount Carmel range, the site includes the caves of Tabun, Jamal, el-Wad and Skhul. Ninety years of archaeological research have revealed a cultural sequence of unparalleled duration, providing an archive of early human life in south-west Asia. This 54 ha property contains cultural deposits representing at least 500,000 years of human evolution demonstrating the unique existence of both Neanderthals andEarly Anatomically Modern Humans within the same Middle Palaeolithic cultural framework, the Mousterian. Evidence from numerous Natufian burials and early stone architecture represents the transition from a hunter-gathering lifestyle to agriculture and animal husbandry. As a result, the caves have become a key site of the chrono-stratigraphic framework for human evolution in general, and the prehistory of the Levant in particular.

 

Encyclopedia Record: Nahal Me'arot Nature Reserve

The Caves of Nahal Me’arot / Wadi el-Mughara, named here by the Hebrew and Arabic name of the valley where they are located, are a UNESCO Site of Human Evolution in the Carmel mountain range near Haifa in northern Israel.

Read more on Wikipedia