The face of one of the earliest known Homo sapiens, the oldest known human, has been revealed 300,000 years after his death.
The Jebel Irhoud fossils, discovered in Morocco, have pushed back the timeline of Homo sapiens by 100,000 years, revealing that our ancestors spread across Africa much earlier than previously thought.
A landmark discovery
The Jebel Irhoud remains have been pivotal in reshaping our knowledge of human evolution. Initially believed to be 40,000 years old, further analysis in the 1990s dated them to between 100,000 and 200,000 years old. However, in 2017, advanced technology determined the fossils to be approximately 300,000 years old. This finding placed Homo sapiens across the African continent 100,000 years earlier than experts had estimated.
Reconstructing the ancient face
Brazilian graphics expert Cicero Moraes led the facial reconstruction, using 3D scans and data from the Max Planck Institute. Moraes described the face of the Neanderthal as “strong and serene.” He explained, “Initially, I scanned the skull in 3D, using data provided by the researchers. Then, I proceeded with the facial approximation, adapting a modern human’s tomography to fit the Jebel Irhoud skull.”
The reconstruction process
Moraes used additional data from modern humans to predict soft tissue thickness and facial features. “The final face is the interpolation of all this data,” he said, resulting in both technical and artistic renditions. The skull was given a male face due to its robust and masculine features, with the reconstruction showing a coherent anatomical structure.
Comparing ancestors
Moraes noted similarities between the Jebel Irhoud skull and another ancient skull, Skhul V, found in Israel dates to 180,000 years later. “The Jebel Irhoud skull is very similar to that of Skhul V,” he said, adding that it also shares traits with Neanderthals and Homo heidelbergensis. These comparisons offer valuable insights into human development over millennia.
According to the Max Planck Institute, the Jebel Irhoud fossils display a modern-looking face and teeth but a more archaic braincase. The transformation of the braincase over time likely relates to genetic changes affecting brain connectivity and development. Palaeoanthropologist Jean-Jacques Hublin remarked, “We used to think that there was a cradle of mankind 200,000 years ago in East Africa. But our new data reveals that Homo sapiens spread across the entire African continent around 300,000 years ago.”
The Jebel Irhoud remains represent the earliest known member of our species, dating back approximately 315,000 years. This discovery has significantly altered our understanding of human evolution, placing Homo sapiens in a historical context much earlier than previously imagined.