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

Dederiyeh洞穴是叙利亚东北部Jabal Sam'n地区的一个大型洞穴遗址，1987年在Afrin地区进行了深入的勘察后被选中进行挖掘（Muhesen等，1988年）。实际挖掘工作分1989年和1990年两个季节进行，以获得有关洞穴沉积物状况及其年代位置的基本数据，也是为了研究洞穴中是否有人科动物的遗骸。这些目标是为了将来对洞穴进行全面挖掘而设计的。一些被指定为智人尼安德特人的人类骨骼遗骸已经被发现，同时还有大量的黎凡特莫斯特类型的工业。挖掘数据表明，Dederiyeh洞穴被尼安德特人群体占据。这是思考现代人类在叙利亚的进化和扩散的第一个证据。

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.