Peștera cu Oase

Peștera cu Oase (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈpeʃtera ku ˈo̯ase], meaning "The Cave with Bones") is a system of 12 karstic galleries and chambers located near the city Anina, in the Caraș-Severin county, southwestern Romania, where one of the oldest early modern human remains in Europe (37,800 years old) have been discovered.

In 2015 genetics research revealed that the Oase 1 fossil had a recent Neanderthal ancestor, with an estimated 5-11% Neanderthal autosomal DNA. The specimen's 12th chromosome was also 50% Neanderthal.

The cave

In February 2002, a speleological team exploring the karstic system of Miniș Valley, in the southwestern Carpathian Mountains near Anina, revealed a previously unknown chamber with a profusion of mammalian skeletal remains. The cave, which seemed to have served primarily as hibernation room for the Late Pleistocene cave bear (Ursus spelaeus), presented unusual arrangements such as the placement of some remains on raised rocks, suggesting a certain human involvement in the accumulated deposits. In fact, speleologists Ștefan Milota, Adrian Bîlgăr and Laurențiu Sarcina discovered a complete human mandible on the paleosurface. The karstic chamber was designated as "Peștera cu Oase" (The Cave with Bones) and the human mandible as "Oase 1".

Peștera

Peştera (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈpeʃtera], meaning "the cave" in Romanian) is a commune in Constanţa County, Romania. It includes five villages:

Demographics

At the 2011 census, Pestera had 3,178 Romanians (99.28%), 18 Turks (0.56%), 4 Tatars (0.12%), 1 others (0.03%).

References

Peștera (disambiguation)

Peştera may refer to several places in Romania:

See also