Fascinating Altamura Man – One Of The Most Complete Neanderthal Skeletons Ever Discovered

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - The Altamura Man lived more than 130,000 years ago when ice sheets were expanding from Antarctica and Greenland. His fossilized skeleton, imprisoned in calcite formations, remained hidden from view at the bottom of a sinkhole near Altamura, a town in southern Italy, for many years. It was not until 1993 that the remains of the Altamura Man were unearthed in a cave.

Left: The Altamura Man. Credit: Redazione Research Italy - Right: The reconstruction of the Altamura Man. Credit: EPA

His body was lying in an inaccessible location, and frustrated scientists had difficulty getting to his remains.

The body remains were stuck in a small chamber deep in the karst cave system.

"They used the rope to bring me down and many of my colleagues. For me, it was a totally amazing experience. When you get in that corner, and you see the skeleton there, you're really blown away," said Jacopo Moggi-Cecchi, a professor in the department of biology at the University of Florence.

Studies of the skeleton showed the Altamura Man met a gruesome death. Most likely, he fell and starved to death.

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