Discovery Early 1930s Geology Limestone | Address Israel | |
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Location Zikhron Ya'akov, Israel Elevation 60 to 65 m (197 to 213 ft) above sea level Similar Jebel Irhoud, Pettakere cave, Gudiyam Cave, Koonalda Cave, Luobi Cave | ||
Kebara Cave (Hebrew: מערת כבארה Me'arat Kebbara, Arabic: مغارة الكبارة Mugharat al-Kabara) is an Israeli limestone cave locality in the Wadi Kebara, situated at 60 to 65 m (197 to 213 ft) above sea level on the western escarpment of the Carmel Range, in the Ramat Hanadiv preserve of Zichron Yaakov. The cave was inhabited between 60,000 to 48,000 BP and is famous for its excavated finds of hominid remains, made under the direction of Professor Ofer Bar-Yosef.
Dorothy Garrod and Francis Turville-Petre excavated in the cave in the early 1930s, but by far the most significant discovery made at Kebara Cave was Kebara 2 in 1982, the most complete postcranial Neanderthal skeleton found to date. Nicknamed "Moshe" and dating to circa 60,000 BP, the skeleton preserved a large part of one individual's torso (vertebral column, ribs and pelvis). The cranium and most of the lower limbs were missing. The hyoid bone was also preserved, and was the first Neanderthal hyoid bone found.
The Kebaran culture is named after the site.