A problematic aspect of the idea of Levantine Neandertals is
that the very features that distinguish them from European
Neandertals tend to align them with modern humans. For example,
the Amud skeleton has stature and limb proportions that set it
apart from European Neandertals, but that fall within the range
of variability of the Skhul and Qafzeh skeletal remains.
Trinkaus (1995) considered the Near East, including Shanidar and
the Levantine samples, to include two forms of hominins: “late
archaic” and “modern” forms. He argued that the late archaic
forms in the Near Easthave no close connection to European
Neandertals, and that similar features reflect mosaicism or
generalized archaic morphology in both evolving populations
Journal of Anthropological Sciences Vol. 90 (2012), pp. 1-17
Dynamics of genetic and morphological variability within
Neandertals Summary - Paleogenomics may suggest changes to the
way anthropologists have discussed the dynamics and
morphological diversity among Neandertals. Genetic comp