The most famous hyoid ever!!

  In 1983, a startling discovery was made at Kebara 2 cave, Israel;  the hyoid bone from a partially complete neanderthal burial.   Because Kebara 2 was occupied by both H. sapiens and neanderthals, and because it is morphologically similar researchers initially thought it belonged to H. sapiens, only  later find that it belonged to a neanderthal.  This discovery was so shocking because it was the first hyoid bone of a neanderthal (or any nonhuman hominid) ever found. which subsequently led many to question the linguistic capabilities of not only neanderthals but also other nonhuman hominids.  The kebara 2 hyoid filled a huge gap in the knowledge of early human vocal tracts.

The Hyoid that shocked the world.
Homo neanderthalensis hyoid bone from Kebara, Israel.
Johanson, Donald, and Blake Edgar.  From Lucy to Language.  New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006.  Print.