--- description: Part of a human skull, found in Israel and believed to be around 55,000-years-old, yields clues as to when humans migrated out of Africa title: Ancient Skull Yields Clues About Human Migration image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a0c875db3e96f1e/69877c7cf887dc6433e89ced/ancient-skull_wong.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Here's What a 55,000-Year-Old Skull Teaches Us About Human Migration by [Helen Regan](/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 29, 2015 7:22 AM CUT  This undated photo provided by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Jan. 27, 2015, shows a partial human skull excavated from a cave in Israel's western Galilee region This undated photo provided by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Jan. 27, 2015, shows a partial human skull excavated from a cave in Israel's western Galilee regionClara Amit—AP by [Helen Regan](/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 29, 2015 7:22 AM CUT Part of a female human skull, found in a cave in Israel and believed to be around 55,000 years old, is giving researchers clues as to when humans migrated out of Africa, leading to the eventual colonization of Europe. The partial skull, found in Manot Cave in western Galilea, is the first recorded instance of modern humans being in the Levant region during that time period, archeologists claim in the [journal](http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature14134.html#figures "undefined") _Nature._ These early people may have been the first topass through the region on their way to cooler latitudes. “It’s amazing. This is the first specimen we have that connects Africa to Europe,” said Israel Hershkovitz of Tel Aviv University. Neanderthal remains have previously been found in locations close to Manot Cave, dating between 50,000 and 65,000 years of age, so that places the two species in the same place at the same time. Non-African humans have a tiny bit of Neanderthal DNA and studies suggest the mix happened 50,000 to 60,000 years ago. Scientists say the new discovery offers the possibility that a spell of interbreeding between Neanderthals and early humans occurred at this time and in this region. \[[_Nature_](http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature14134.html#figures "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3687140/skull-manot-cave-galilea-human-neanderthal/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3687140/skull-manot-cave-galilea-human-neanderthal/"},"headline":"Here's What a 55,000-Year-Old Skull Teaches Us About Human Migration","datePublished":"2015-01-29T07:22:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T03:58:05.136Z","description":"The rare bone find is the first to connect humans in Africa and Europe","url":"https://time.com/3687140/skull-manot-cave-galilea-human-neanderthal/","keywords":["Israel","Discovery","nature"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a0c875db3e96f1e/69877c7cf887dc6433e89ced/ancient-skull_wong.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Helen Regan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/helen-regan/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a0c875db3e96f1e/69877c7cf887dc6433e89ced/ancient-skull_wong.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Ancient Skull","caption":"Ancient Skull","creditText":"Clara Amit—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3687140/skull-manot-cave-galilea-human-neanderthal/","name":"Here's What a 55,000-Year-Old Skull Teaches Us About Human Migration"}}]}] ```