以色列特拉維夫大學考古學系教授阿維·戈弗說他們團隊在特拉維夫市東部一個洞穴里發現了八顆牙齒，其中最古老的一顆可追溯到40萬年前，比之前發現的最早的智人骨骸還早了20萬年。該發現可能會推翻“現代人起源于非洲”的傳統觀點。戈弗說他們2006年就發現了第一顆牙齒，之后幾年他們一直在進行采樣并使用各種紀年法進行測試。特拉維夫大學聲明說“我們會繼續考察，以發現更多支持該研究成果的證據，加深對人類進化歷程的了解。”

A handout photo made available by Tel Aviv University spokesperson office shows the Qesem Cave near Rosh.

Israeli archaeologists have discovered human remains dating from 400,000 years ago, challenging conventional wisdom that Homo sapiens originated in Africa, the leader of excavations in Israel said on Tuesday.

Avi Gopher, of Tel Aviv University's Institute of Archaeology, said testing of stalagmites, stalactites and other material found in a cave east of Tel Aviv indicates that eight teeth uncovered there could be the earliest traces so far of our species.

"Our cave was used for a period of about 250,000 years -- from about 400,000 years ago to about 200,000 years ago," he told the reporters.

"The teeth are scattered through the layers of the cave, some in the deeper part, that is to say from 400,000 years and through all kinds of other layers that can be up to 200,000 years. The oldest are 400,000 years old", he added."

That calls into question the widely held view that Africa was the birthplace of modern man, said Gopher, who headed the dig at Qesem Cave.

"It is accepted at the moment that the earliest Homo sapiens that we know is in east Africa and is 200,000 years old, or a little less. We don't know of anywhere else where anyone claims to have an earlier Homo sapiens," he said.

Gopher said the first teeth were discovered in 2006 but he and his team waited until they had several samples, then conducted years of testing, using a variety of dating methods, before publishing their findings.

Digging continues at the cave, the university said, with researchers hoping to "uncover additional finds that will enable them to confirm the findings published up to now and to enhance our understanding of the evolution of mankind, and especially the appearance of modern man."

(Agencies)

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（中國日報網英語點津 崔旭燕 編輯）