In the north of Spain, a fossil over a million years old has just been discovered on the site of Atapuerca. If the results are confirmed, it could well be the oldest in Europe belonging to the genus Homo.
In an ancient prehistoric cave, called the Sima of the Elephantlocated in the heart of the Atapuerca mountain range, paleontologists unearthed jawbone remains wrapped in clay, belonging to a specimen of the genus Homo, on June 30, 2022. At present, all that is estimable is age. And even. According to the researchers, it would be around 1.4 million years old, and would be above all the most ancient fossil from Europe belonging to the genus Homo.
But this is not the first time that the prehistoric site of the Sierra de Atapuerca has found itself under the fire of the spotlights. Because this is where a “new” extinct species was discovered in 1995: Homo ancestor. Identified thanks to dozens of bone fragments from a dozen individuals, we do not know much about this pre-Neanderthal species, except that it would have flourished between 1,200,000 years and 700,000 years before our era and would be a common ancestor to H. Neanderthalensis and H. sapiens. However, it was published in Nature which describes the elements on this species, in particular the practice of cannibalism.
The very first population of the genus Homo in Europe
This discovery corroborates a previous one made in 2007 in the same cave, but two meters higher. In 2007, paleontologists found what appeared to be a mandible. No specific species has been attributed to it, for lack of conclusive data. The researchers then hope that with this latest find, they will be able to better identify the precise species. ‘Cause if they suppose it might just be remains ofHomo ancestor. For the moment, nothing confirms it, even if it is “very likely that the new fossil of the Sima del Elefante is related to this jawbone and that it belongs to one of the first populations that colonized Europe”describes the press release from the Atapuerca website.
Encontrada la cara del Primer Europeo.#Atapuerca nos abre de nuevo las puertas para descifrar el enigma de la aparición de la cara moderna. pic.twitter.com/lCSnJqM00q
— FUNDACION ATAPUERCA (@FATAPUERCA) July 8, 2022
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