1 Vol.:(0123456789) Scientifc Reports | (2021) 11:2869 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82257-6 www.nature.com/scientificreports Nubian Levallois technology associated with southernmost Neanderthals James Blinkhorn 1,2* , Clément Zanolli 3 , Tim Compton 4 , Huw S. Groucutt 5,6,10 , Eleanor M. L. Scerri 1,7,10 , Lucile Crété 4 , Chris Stringer 4 , Michael D. Petraglia 6,8,9 & Simon Blockley 2 Neanderthals occurred widely across north Eurasian landscapes, but between ~ 70 and 50 thousand years ago (ka) they expanded southwards into the Levant, which had previously been inhabited by Homo sapiens. Palaeoanthropological research in the frst half of the twentieth century demonstrated alternate occupations of the Levant by Neanderthal and Homo sapiens populations, yet key early fndings have largely been overlooked in later studies. Here, we present the results of new examinations of both the fossil and archaeological collections from Shukbah Cave, located in the Palestinian West Bank, presenting new quantitative analyses of a hominin lower frst molar and associated stone tool assemblage. The hominin tooth shows clear Neanderthal afnities, making it the southernmost known fossil specimen of this population/species. The associated Middle Palaeolithic stone tool assemblage is dominated by Levallois reduction methods, including the presence of Nubian Levallois points and cores. This is the frst direct association between Neanderthals and Nubian Levallois technology, demonstrating that this stone tool technology should not be considered an exclusive marker of Homo sapiens. Given genetic evidence for interbreeding between Homo sapiens and Neanderthal populations 1–6 , constraining when and where they may have encountered one another has broad ramifcations for understanding our shared heritage. With a wealth of chronometrically dated Palaeolithic sites concentrated in a relatively small area, a number of which preserve fossil hominin specimens, the Levant is a key region of focus to examine biological and behavioural diferences between these populations, as well as possible interactions between them. Early evidence for either populations is sparse, with Lower Palaeolithic occupations at sites such as Qesem 7,8 refecting broad variability amongst Middle Pleistocene Homo populations, and the presence of Homo sapiens in the eastern Mediterranean in the late Middle Pleistocene hinted at from isolated examples 9,10 . In the Late Pleistocene, Homo sapiens occupied the Levant during Marine Isotope Stage 5 (MIS 5: 130–71 ka) 11–13 then are next documented in the region from ~ 50 ka onwards 14,15 . With the onset of cooler conditions at the start of MIS 4 (71–59 ka) 16–19 fossils of Neanderthal populations have consistently been recovered from the wooded landscapes of the eastern Mediterranean coast associated with late Middle Palaeolithic assemblages 20–22 (Fig. 1). Earlier evidence for the Neanderthal occupations of the region remain mired in controversy, such as the dating and provenance of Tabun C1 23,24 . Following MIS 5, therefore, a substantive change in hominin demography can be observed in the Levant, with an expansion of Neanderthals from their northern distribution into regions previously occupied by Homo sapiens. Tis has been interpreted as a population overturn associated with replacement of stone tools assem- blages focusing on centripetal Levallois fake reduction (closely connected with Homo sapiens 25,26 ), by those in which unidirectional convergent Levallois point production appears particularly prominent (associated with OPEN 1 Pan-African Evolution Research Group, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, Germany. 2 Centre for Quaternary Research, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey, UK. 3 Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, 33600 Pessac, France. 4 Centre for Human Evolution Research, Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK. 5 Extreme Events Research Group, Max Planck Institutes for Chemical Ecology, The Science of Human History, and Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Strasse 8, 07745 Jena, Germany. 6 Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, Germany. 7 Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta, Msida 2080, MSD, Malta. 8 Human Origins Program, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA. 9 School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia. 10 Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany. * email: blinkhorn@shh.mpg.de