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Rabat – Morocco’s National Institute of Archeology and Heritage (INSAP) has announced a new major discovery of a 110,000-year-old Atlas Lion fossil in Essaouira.
The institute said in a statement that a joint team of experts from the institute, the US University of Arizona, and France’s Aix-Marseille universities made the discovery on the Bizmoun site, Essaouira.
According to the institute, the now-extinct Alas Lion recently existed in different regions across.
The institute celebrated the finding, emphasizing that the Atlas Lion’s traces were found “for the first time in the history of archaeological research.”
Its statement explained: “It is known that the Bizmoun cave in Essaouira enabled experts to make many findings that had an impact not only on the ancient history of Morocco, but also on the history of mankind.”
The institute recalled the finding of the oldest ornaments in the same cave. The discovered ornaments date back between 142,000 and 150,000 years.
It also noted that its research program benefits from the support of Morocco’s Ministry of Culture in partnership with international universities.
Last year, archaeologists discovered in the same Essaouira cave the oldest jewelry that dates back to thousands of years.
The discoveries included necklaces and bracelets.
“Essaouira has experienced today one of the most exhilarating and moving moments of its long history with this discovery, in the Bizmoune cave, senior royal advisor Ande Azoulay said to announce last year’s discovery.
An international team of 26 researchers, including two archaeologists from INSAP made the discovery.
