Wesleyan University Archaeology & Anthropology Collections Hominin Fossil Casts
Species Designation: Homo sapiens ID/ Nickname: Skhul 5 Date: (there are two possible ranges) 31,000-33,000; 80,000-120,000 BP Catalog #: 2004-11-17 a and b Description: cranium and mandible

Context of Discovery:

Discovered near Mount Carmel, Israel by T. McCown and H. Moivus, Jr. on May 2, 1932. The remains of this male individual, known as Skhul 5, were recovered from the Skhul Cave along with the skeletons of 9 other adults and children.

Facts about "Skhul 5":

Skhul 5 has a cranial capacity of about 1520 cc. The brow ridge is more developed than in modern humans. It also has a high forehead, which rises vertically from the face, an expanded frontal portion of the braincase, and a chin. These are features of modern skulls. Skhul 5 does not have an occipital bun (projecting bun at the back of the head). It does have a "retro-molar" space which is not found in modern humans. The dates associated with Skhul 5 indicates that H. sapiens co-existed with H. neanderthalensis. 

Important Publications:

McCown, T.D., and A. Keith. 1939. "The fossil remains from the Levalloiso-Mousterian." The Stone Age of Mount Carmel, v. II. Oxford: The Clarendon Press.

Keith, A. and T. D. McCown. 1937. "Mount Carmel Man: His bearing on the ancestry of modern races." in Early Man, G.G. MacCordy, ed., pp. 44-52. Philadelphia: Lippincott.

 McCown, T. D. 1936. "Mount Carmel Man." BASPR (Bulletin American School of Prehistoric Research)12: 131-139.

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