In December 1998, near the town of Lapedo, in Leiria, the skeleton of a 25,000-year-old child was discovered.

A unique find because the bones also revealed that the boy was a hybrid, the son of a Neanderthal and a Homo Sapiens Sapiens.

The excavation of the child’s skeleton, who was between four and five years old, continued throughout the winter and revealed a very well-preserved set, despite the skull being quite fragmented. A burial remains was also found that proves that the burial was carried out carefully.

The discovery of a child from the Upper Paleolithic would already be a rarity, but the fact that it presented traits of both Neanderthal and Homo sapiens sapiens made the find unique. The possibility of a hybrid resulting from a mixture between the two species attracted experts from around the world and generated controversy.

The debate raged between those who defended or not the possibility of the two species of hominids reproducing each other. The debate raged for a long time until DNA studies proved that modern European man has Neanderthal markers.