Irhoud

Irhoud, also known as Jebel Irhoud, is a paleoanthropological site located in western Morocco. It is best known for the Jebel Irhoud fossils, a collection of Homo sapiens remains that researchers have dated to about 315,000 years ago. The finds at Irhoud are among the oldest known specimens of our species, contributing important evidence to debates about the timing and geography of early modern humans.

Site and context

The Irhoud collection comes from a limestone quarry site that includes a cave or rock shelter along with associated lithic artifacts and faunal remains. The deposits record a Middle Palaeolithic assemblage and provide a window into the life of early Homo sapiens in North Africa.

Discovery and dating

Fossils at Irhoud were first uncovered in the 1960s by a Moroccan-French archaeological team. In 2017, an international research effort led by Jean-Jacques Hublin reassessed the site and applied radiometric dating techniques, including thermoluminescence and electron spin resonance, to establish an age of roughly 315,000 years. The remains include skull fragments, jaws, and teeth, interpreted as belonging to early Homo sapiens.

Significance

Irhoud is a key datum in the study of human evolution because it shows that Homo sapiens occupied North Africa at a very early date. The findings support views of a complex, multi-regional emergence of modern humans within Africa, rather than a single cradle. Irhoud has influenced ongoing discussions about the geographical and temporal scope of early modern human origins and migration.

See also

Homo sapiens, human evolution, North African archaeology.