Continued Excavations at Hayonim Cave, Israel

在国家科学基金会的支持下，Ofer Bar- Yosef博士和一个大型跨国合作者小组将继续在以色列Hayonim Cave遗址进行国家科学基金会支持的考古研究。哈约尼姆含有丰富的石制品和动物化石，以及人类骨骼碎片，时间跨度约为16万至12万年前。挖掘和分析将按照一系列相关目标进行。 将收集材料用于矿床的热释光和电子自旋共振年代测定。如果成功，这将提供绝对年龄估计。E层是该场址的最低层，它的广泛暴露将允许记录和检查炉床以及人工制品和骨骼的空间分布。我们将对这些类别进行分析。研究人员将重建用于工具制造的石器操作序列，并进行微磨损分析以确定工具功能。 来自许多来源的数据表明，解剖学和行为学上的现代人最早出现在大约20万年前的非洲，并随后传播到世界其他地区。 近东作为非洲的门户，可以提供关于这种扩展的重要信息。迄今为止的工作表明，在很长一段时间内，现代人和早期的“尼安德特人”在该地区共存或交替出现。然而，第一批现代人类何时到达地球尚不清楚，Bar Yosef博士的研究直接考察了这一可疑时期。哈约尼姆洞穴值得进行协调一致的研究，因为它的沉积物不仅涵盖了这一时间范围，而且还包含保存完好的动物群和石器遗迹。这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。它将为许多人类学家提供感兴趣的数据。它将揭示现代人类的出现，并增加我们对一段时间的了解。

With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Ofer Bar- Yosef and a large multinational group of collaborators will continue National Science Foundation supported archaeological research at the site of Hayonim Cave located in Israel. Hayonim contains deposits rich in lithics and faunal remains - as well as fragmentary human skeletal material - which span the time range of ca 160,000 - 120,000 years ago. Excavation and analysis will proceed with a series of related goals. Materials will be collected for thermoluminescence and electron spin resonance dating of the deposits. If successful this will provide absolute age estimates. Extensive exposure of layer E, the lowest level of the site will permit recording and examination of hearths and spatial distributions of artifacts and bones. Each of these classes will be analyzed. Reseachers will reconstruct the lithic operational sequences employed for tool manufacture and microwear analysis will be conducted to determine tool function. Data from a number of sources suggest that anatomically and behavioral modern humans first appeared in Africa perhaps 200,000 years ago and spread sequentially to other parts of the world. The Near East, as the gateway from Africa may provide essential information on this expansion. Work to date indicates that for a long span of time both modern humans and earlier `Neanderthal` forms either coexisted or alternated presence in the area. Just when the first modern humans arrived however is unknown and Dr. Bar Yosef's research directly examines the suspected period. Hayonim cave is worthy of concerted research because its deposits not only cover this time range but also contain well preserved faunal and lithic remains. This research is important for several reasons. It will provide data of interest to a large number of anthropologists. It will shed light on the emergence of modern humans and increase our knowledge of a little understood period of time.