The discovery was made in the rock shelter near Chancelade in Dordogn, France,in 1888. A human skeleton with its arms folded on its breast region and the knees just touching the jaw was unearthed. The body was smeared with red ochre.
The posture in which the skeleton was laid suggests method of burial found among many ancient and modern people. The Chancelade lived in Magdalenian time. In the same rock shelter some typical fauna and implements of the Magdalenian period was also found.
Characteristics of Chancelade Man:
- The skull is long and narrow.
- Length being 19.4 cm and breadth 18.75 cm.
- Cranial index is 70.9 and thus dolichocephalic.
- Cranial capacity is 1530 CC.
- The vault of the skull is high.
- Supra Orbital ridges are slightly marked.
- The forehead is almost vertical.
- The mastoid process are well-developed.
- The sagittal plane of the skull is noticed.
- The face is very long and broad.
- Cheek bones are strongly developed.
- Orbits are large and high in shape.
- Nose is leptorrhine.
- No sub-nasal prognathism is noticed.
- The palate is narrow.
- The alveolar is elliptical in outline.
- The lower jaw is strong but narrow.
- The ascending ramii are very broad.
- Chin is prominent.
- They were of short stature of 5′.1″.
- The limb bones are strong and massive,indicating a strong muscular body.
- Upper limbs are comparatively longer.
- The femur is bent.
- The tibia is flat.
- The foot is large.
It is believed that Chancelade men were ancestors of modern day Eskimos who are distributed in North America. It is said that with the retreat of glaciation the ancestors of Eskimos moved from Europe to North America where they evolved into Eskimos.