Researchers have recently reevaluated the remains of the ‘Lapedo Child’
Researchers have recently reevaluated the remains of the ‘Lapedo Child’ 
and now believe that their remains date to 28,000 years ago (25,830-26,600 B.C.E.). The date change also leads to new interesting developments regarding ritual burial. The child which was discovered in the Lagar Velho rock-shelter in the Lapedo Valley of central Portugal, showed physical characteristics of Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapien features. The Lapedo Child who was 4-5 years old, possessed a prominent chin as seen in modern humans and shirt/stocky legs seen in Neandertals. Previous dating methods had placed the remains using radiocarbon-dating from 20,000-26,000 years ago (using nearby animal bones) which is more recent than the new date. The new dating method called compound-specific radiocarbon analysis (CSRA) allowed researchers to remove “contamination from archaeological bones” which impacts dating. Besides for the remains of the child itself, researchers also looked at rabbit bones that were buried on top of Lapedo Child as well as red deer bones by the child’s shoulder and charcoal underneath the legs. It was found that only the rabbit bones were buried at the same time as the child while the charcoal and deer bones were already present. The rabbit bone is thought to have been an offering. Following the child’s burial, the site went untouched for over 2,000 years. It is thought that “prehistoric communities, following major life events, may have assigned spiritual or symbolic value to certain locations” which may have led to the area to be considered “taboo.”
and now believe that their remains date to 28,000 years ago (25,830-26,600 B.C.E.). The date change also leads to new interesting developments regarding ritual burial. The child which was discovered in the Lagar Velho rock-shelter in the Lapedo Valley of central Portugal, showed physical characteristics of Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapien features. The Lapedo Child who was 4-5 years old, possessed a prominent chin as seen in modern humans and shirt/stocky legs seen in Neandertals. Previous dating methods had placed the remains using radiocarbon-dating from 20,000-26,000 years ago (using nearby animal bones) which is more recent than the new date. The new dating method called compound-specific radiocarbon analysis (CSRA) allowed researchers to remove “contamination from archaeological bones” which impacts dating. Besides for the remains of the child itself, researchers also looked at rabbit bones that were buried on top of Lapedo Child as well as red deer bones by the child’s shoulder and charcoal underneath the legs. It was found that only the rabbit bones were buried at the same time as the child while the charcoal and deer bones were already present. The rabbit bone is thought to have been an offering. Following the child’s burial, the site went untouched for over 2,000 years. It is thought that “prehistoric communities, following major life events, may have assigned spiritual or symbolic value to certain locations” which may have led to the area to be considered “taboo.”
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