Abrigo do Lagar Velho, Archaeological site in Lapedo Valley, Portugal
Abrigo do Lagar Velho is a rock shelter in the Lapedo Valley, Portugal, where layers of Paleolithic sediment and artifacts are stacked on top of each other. The shelter consists of a recessed rock face that protected both human burials and everyday remains from the elements over a very long period.
The site came to light in 1998 during construction work that accidentally exposed a child's skeleton dated to around 24,500 years ago. Excavations that followed revealed that the shelter had been used by people across multiple periods, long before and after that burial.
Shell ornaments, red ochre, and animal bone pendants were found alongside the child's remains, pointing to a burial with deliberate preparation. These objects show that people living in this valley long ago treated death as a meaningful event worth marking.
The terrain around the shelter is uneven and rocky, so sturdy footwear makes walking much easier. Visiting during dry weather is a good idea, as the path to the rock face can become slippery after rain.
The child's skeleton shows physical traits associated with both Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans, which suggests the two groups may have interbred. This single find sparked a wide debate among researchers that is still ongoing today.
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