Qafzah

a hill near Nazareth (Israel) on the slopes of which skeletons of ancient people were discovered in a cave (in 1933–35 and 1965–67). Two of the skeletons were in the level with Upper Paleolithic stone tools and eight were in an older level, dating from the end of the Lower Paleolithic. The latter are the more interesting. Their skulls are elongated and large with strongly developed superciliary arches, a high fornix, and a rounded occiput. The lower jaw is massive but with a developed chin. The people of Qafzah probably lived 50, 000 to 60, 000 years ago. The combination of a physical type resembling that of modern man and a relatively primitive culture has given rise to discussion on the place in evolution of the people of Qafzah. Some scholars consider them to be paleoanthropoids; others feel that they are ancient representatives of modern man.