Israel Hershkovitz

• PhD
• Tel Aviv University

The south Levantine mid-Middle Palaeolithic (mid-MP; ~130–80 thousand years ago (ka)) is remarkable for its exceptional evidence of human morphological variability, with contemporaneous fossils of Homo sapiens and Neanderthal-like hominins. Yet, it remains unclear whether these hominins adhered to discrete behavioural sets or whether regional-scale...

Exploring and using remote segments of complex karst systems represents the incorporation of one of the wildest and most demanding natural environments into the cultural fabric of Neolithic-Chalcolithic village-based communities in the Levant. The unique preservation of an early fifth-millennium bce activity phase in Har Sifsof Cave in northern Isr...

Identifying communal rituals in the Paleolithic is of scientific importance, as it reflects the expression of collective identity and the maintenance of group cohesion. This study provides evidence indicating the practice of deep cave collective rituals in the Levant during the Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) period. It is demonstrated that these gat...

Identifying communal rituals in the Paleolithic is of scientific importance, as it reflects the expression of collective identity and the maintenance of group cohesion. This study provides evidence indicating the practice of deep cave collective rituals in the Levant during the Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) period. It is demonstrated that these gat...

The cervical spine manifests a wide shape variation. However, the traditional methods to evaluate the cervical spine curve were never tested against its actual shape. The study's main aim was to determine whether the shape classification of the cervical spine, based on traditional angular measurements, coincides with each other and with the shape c...

The site of Manot Cave in western Galilee, Israel, has been a focus of research on the Levantine Upper Paleolithic since its discovery in 2008. Thick archaeological accumulations and good preservation of organic remains, including charcoal fragments, provided a stable base for the study of the Upper Paleolithic chrono-cultural sequence, alongside t...

This CT-based study aimed to characterize and explain the existence of two anatomical structures positioned near the maxillary sinuses, which are of clinical relevance in rhinology and maxillofacial surgery. A total of 182 head scans (92 males and 90 females) were inspected for infraorbital ethmoid cells (IECs) and for the type (route) of infraorbi...

Background: Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) is the most common spine disease in the elderly population. It is usually associated with lumbar spine joints/or ligaments degeneration. Machine learning technique is an exclusive method for handling big data analysis; however, the development of this method for spine pathology is rare. This s...

Background Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) is the most common spine disease in the elderly population. It is usually associated with lumbar spine joints/or ligaments degeneration. Machine learning technique is an exclusive method for handling big data analysis; however, the development of this method for spine pathology is rare. This stu...

Although cooking is regarded as a key element in the evolutionary success of the genus Homo, impacting various biological and social aspects, when intentional cooking first began remains unknown. The early Middle Pleistocene site of Gesher Benot Ya’aqov, Israel (marine isotope stages 18–20; ~0.78 million years ago), has preserved evidence of h...

Marom and Rak claim, on the basis of a few mandibular features, that the Nesher Ramla (NR) Homo is a Neanderthal. Their comments lack substance and contribute little to the debate surrounding the evolution of Middle Pleistocene Homo. Limitations and preconceptions in their study prevented them from achieving resolution beyond a dichotomous interpre...

The rapid changes in our surroundings during the Holocene challenge the human body. The current study, carried out on the terminal Pleistocene-Holocene populations of the Levant, presents several examples of how changes in the habitation and diet have affected the disease patterns and the gross morphology of long bones and mandibles. Our major find...

The aim of the current study was to establish whether the vertebral morphometry (e.g., vertebral body width and spinal canal diameters) is associated with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS). A retrospective computerized tomography (CT) study from L1 to L5 for two sample populations was used. The first included 165 participants with symptoma...

Previous studies have reported that osteophytes in the cervical vertebrae may cause immobility, neck stiffness, osteoarthritis, headaches, nerve entrapment syndromes, and compression of the vertebral artery. Our objective was to explore the osteophytes' expression on zygapophyseal joints C3–C7. This is a cross‐sectional observational skeletal study...

Middle Pleistocene Homo in the Levant Our understanding of the origin, distribution, and evolution of early humans and their close relatives has been greatly refined by recent new information. Adding to this trend, Hershkovitz et al. have uncovered evidence of a previously unknown archaic Homo population, the “Nesher Ramla Homo ” (see the Perspecti...

Middle Pleistocene Homo in the Levant Our understanding of the origin, distribution, and evolution of early humans and their close relatives has been greatly refined by recent new information. Adding to this trend, Hershkovitz et al. have uncovered evidence of a previously unknown archaic Homo population, the “Nesher Ramla Homo ” (see the Perspecti...

The aim of this study was to characterize dental anomalies. The pretreatment records (photographs and radiographs) of 2897 patients (41.4% males and 58.6% females) were utilized to detect dental anomalies. The dental anomalies studied were related to number, size and shape, position, and eruption. A Chi-square test was carried out to detect associa...

Femoral head neck defects (FHNDs) are commonly reported in the anatomical and anthropological literature. The best known types are Allen’s fossa and Poirier’s facet; however, their definition and etiology are still debated. The aims of this study were to revise the categorization and identification of FHNDs and to reveal their prevalence in a skele...

Introduction: The chin is a major determinant of the facial profile; hence, it plays a major role in orthodontics and orthognathic surgery. It is thus essential to follow and better understand its expression in different facial types. The major objectives of the current study were to characterize morphometrically the chin and symphysis and reveal...

The intervertebral disc’s (IVD) annulus fibrosus (AF) retains the hydrostatic pressure of the nucleus pulposus (NP), controls the range of motion, and maintains the integrity of the motion segment. The microstructure of the AF is not yet fully understood and quantitative characterization is lacking, leaving a caveat in modern medicine’s ability to...

Manot Cave is a unique relict karst cave located in the western Galilee, north-western Israel. The cave was inhabited from the Late Middle Paleolithic through the Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) periods until its main entrance collapsed, ca. 30 ka. The cave consists of an elongated main hall and two side chambers. The topography of the main hall cons...

This paper focuses on new findings from Middle Paleolithic Geula Cave, Israel, located in the northern part of Mt. Carmel. The cave, consists of several small chambers that are remnants of a larger cave system, initially excavated between 1958 and 1964. In 2016, a salvage excavation was conducted in areas of the cave that were not previously explor...

In this study we examined the fossil records from Israel, which has one of the largest yet most variable fossil records, in order to establish a coherent scenario of the populations that inhabited the region for more than a million years.

The aim of this study is to determine the sagittal inclination of lumbar spinous processes (SPs) in individuals with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS). It is a retrospective computerized tomography (CT) study including 345 individuals divided into two groups: control (90 males, 90 females) and stenosis (80 males and 85 females. The SP incl...

The excavation of Manot Cave (Israel) reveals intensive occupation during the Early Upper Paleolithic and provides the first continuous set of anthracological data available for the Ahmarian, Levantine Auri-gnacian and post-Levantine Aurignacian periods. The paper aims to study the vegetal landscape around Manot Cave in the context of climate chang...

Situated at the crossroads of Africa and Eurasia, the Levant is a crucial region for understanding the origins and spread of Upper Paleolithic (UP) traditions associated with the spread of modern humans. Of the two local Early Upper Paleolithic technocomplexes, the Ahmarian and the Levantine Aurignacian, the latter appears to be unique in the endem...

Glycymeris shell beads found in Middle Palaeolithic sites are understood to be artifacts collected by modern humans for symbolic use. In Misliya Cave, Israel, dated to 240–160 ka BP, Glycymeris shells were found that were neither perforated nor manipulated; nevertheless, transportation to the cave is regarded as symbolic. In about 120 ka BP at Qafz...

The aim of this study is to establish whether facet tropism (FT) and orientation (FO) are associated with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS). A retrospective computerized tomography (CT) study including 274 individuals was divided into two groups: control (82 males and 81 females) and stenosis (59 males and 52 females). All participants hav...

The chin is a unique anatomical landmark of modern humans. Its size and shape play an important role from the esthetic perspective. However, disagreement exists in the dental and anthropological literature regarding the sex differences in chin and symphysis morphometrics. The "sexual selection" theory is presented as a possible reason for chin form...

Studying endocasts has long allowed anthropologists to examine changes in the external topography and the overall size of the brain throughout the evolutionary history of hominins. The nearly complete calvaria of Manot 1 presents an opportunity to gain insights into the external brain morphology, vascular system, and dimensions of the brain of this...

Inundated archaeological sites dating from the Middle Palaeolithic to the Pottery Neolithic periods have been exposed off the Mediterranean coast of Israel, mainly the northern Carmel coast. The bulk of the sites represents in situ Neolithic settlements dating from the tenth to the seventh millennia BP, including the Pre-Pottery Neolithic site of A...

Studying endocasts has long allowed anthropologists to examine changes in the external topography and the overall size of the brain throughout the evolutionary history of hominins. The nearly complete calvaria of Manot 1 presents an opportunity to gain insights into the external brain morphology, vascular system, and dimensions of the brain of this...

The aim of this study was to compare pedicle dimensions in degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) with those in the general population. A retrospective computerized tomography (CT) study for lumbar vertebrae (L1 to L5) from two sample populations was used. The first included 165 participants with symptomatic DLSS (age range: 40-88 years, sex ra...

A well-preserved sequence of Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) occupations has been revealed in the past decade in Manot Cave, the studies of which shed light on the cultural dynamics and subsistence patterns and paleoenvironment. Most intriguing is the series of overlying Levantine Aurignacian occupation layers, exposed near the entrance to the cave....

Genetic and archaeological models predict that African modern humans successfully colonized Eurasia between 60,000 and 40,000 years before present (ka), replacing all other forms of hominins. While there is good evidence for the first arrival in Eurasia around 50-45ka, the fossil record is extremely scarce with regard to earlier representatives. A...

The aim of this study was to shed light on the association between lumbosacral transitional vertebra (LSTV) and degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS). A cross-sectional retrospective study was performed on 165 individuals that were diagnosed with clinical picture of DLSS (age range: 40-88 years; sex ratio: 80M/85F) and 180 individuals without...

A karst survey of the western upper Galilee in Israel shows that karst has been a dominant geomorphic factor throughout the Cenozoic. We discuss the geomorphic character of Manot Cave on the background of other karst features of the region, in order to decipher the preferences of the humans who favored this cave over others. Tens of caves distribut...

d 13 C d 18 O Speleothems a b s t r a c t Early Ahmarian, Levantine Aurignacian and Post-Levantine Aurignacian archeological assemblages show that the karstic Manot Cave, located 5 km east of the Mediterranean coast in the Western Galilee region of Israel, was intensively occupied during the Early Upper Paleolithic. The coexistence of these rich ar...

Anatolia was home to some of the earliest farming communities. It has been long debated whether a migration of farming groups introduced agriculture to central Anatolia. Here, we report the first genome-wide data from a 15,000-year-old Anatolian hunter-gatherer and from seven Anatolian and Levantine early farmers. We find high genetic continuity (~...

Der Mensch stammt aus Afrika – das ist Stand der Forschung. Doch wie die Ausbreitung im Einzelnen verlief und welche Rolle der Neandertaler bei der Entwicklung zum modernen »Homo sapiens« spielte, wird nach wie vor kontrovers diskutiert. Hier kommt den neuen Funden aus Manot Cave in Israel an der Nahtstelle zwischen Afrika und Eurasien eine Schlüss...

Understanding who we are and how we got here is essential to forging connections in an increasingly polarized society, says Israel Hershkovitz. Understanding who we are and how we got here is essential to forging connections in an increasingly polarized society, says Israel Hershkovitz.

The ratio between the sagittal diameter of the spinal canal and the sagittal diameter of the vertebral body, known as the “Torg ratio”, is often used to test for spinal canal narrowing. Here, we investigate this ratio in a large population, consisting of two ethnicities, both sexes and three age groups. Measurements were taken on the dry cervical v...

Vertebral osteophytes are an age‐dependent manifestation of degenerative changes in the spine. We aimed to determine the prevalence and severity of cervical osteophytosis in a large study population. To do so, we developed a grading system for osteophytosis, enabling the assessment of their presence and severity in the cervical spine, and applied i...

The aim of this study was to reveal whether demographic aspect, vertebral morphometry, and spine degeneration are associated with lumbar Schmorl’s nodes (SNs). A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed using data from the Department of Radiology (Carmel, Medical Center, Israel) for 180 individuals: age range between 40 and 99 years; 90 ma...

Our original claim, based on three independent numerical dating methods, of an age of ~185,000 years for the Misliya-1 modern human hemi-maxilla from Mount Carmel, Israel, is little affected by discounting uranium-series dating of adhering crusts. It confirms a much earlier out-of-Africa Homo sapiens expansion than previously suggested by the consi...

Throughout human evolution, the Levant has served as the major land corridor for hominins migrating from Africa. Although human fossils have been discovered in many parts of the Old World, few geographical areas are as important to advancing our understanding of human evolution as the Levant. The current chapter describes the major fossils that hav...

In the original version of this Article, references in the format 'First author et al.' were inappropriately deleted. These errors have been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.

Anatolia was home to some of the earliest farming communities. It has been long debated whether a migration of farming groups introduced agriculture to central Anatolia. Here, we report the first genome-wide data from a 15,000 year-old Anatolian hunter-gatherer and from seven Anatolian and Levantine early farmers. We find high genetic continuity be...

The material culture of the Late Chalcolithic period in the southern Levant (4500-3900/3800 BCE) is qualitatively distinct from previous and subsequent periods. Here, to test the hypothesis that the advent and decline of this culture was influenced by movements of people, we generated genome-wide ancient DNA from 22 individuals from Peqi'in Cave, I...