Israeli archaeologists are speculating over the exact age of a fossilized human skull discovered recently in the village of Sameriya, near Nahariya, in Western Galilee.
The skull–which has a very low forehead, prominent brow and very heavy bones–is believed, to date back to the early iron age because potsherds and coins discovered in the same area prove conclusively that the region was inhabited around 100 B.C. On the other hand, some archaeologists hope to prove that the skull is that of a Neanderthal man, basing their contention on the fact that an elephant tusk and several stone implements discovered nearby are believed to date back 50,000 years.
Prof. L. Steklis, of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, has been appointed to supervise excavations authorized by the archaeological department of the Ministry of Public Works in the area around Kibbutz Evron, near Nahariya. Members of the colony have reported that the coastal hills in the vicinity contain numerous caves which were inhabited in pre-historic times and which have only been partially excavated.
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