Excavation of the Palaeolithic Cave "Dederiyeh" : Palaeoanthropological Researches in Afrin Rift Valley, syria

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Dederiyeh Cave, a large cave site in the Jabal Sam'n of northeastern Syria, was chosen for excavation after an intensive reconnaissance survey in Afrin region in 1987 (Muhesen et al 1988).The actual excavation work was carried out in two seasons, 1989 and 1990, in order to obtain the basic data concerned with the condition of the cave deposits and their chronological position, and also to examine the possibility of hominoid remains from the cave. These objectives have been designed for a full-scale excavation of the cave in the future.A number of human skeletal remains designated as Homo sapiens Neanderthalensis have been uncovered together with large quantities of the Levantine Mousterian type industries. The excavation data indicate that the Dederiyeh cave was occupied by Neanderthal groups. This is the first evidence to think about the evolution and dispersal of modern humans in Syria.