The fragment of the upper jaw and zygomatic (cheek) of an individual who lived in the Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain 1.4 million years ago is a discovery that amazes the world. Photo: EFE
Spanish paleontologists have announced the discovery of a hominid fossil estimated at 1.4 million years, which would make it, if its age were confirmed, the oldest human being identified in Europe.
The discovery was made on June 30 at the site of the elephant pit, in the Sierra de Atapuerca, in northern Spain, and was inaugurated today.
Here, paleontologists operates since 1978, according to the Atapuerca Foundation, which manages the venue.
The members of the Atapuerca Foundation work at the archaeological site in the north of Spain, a true gem for international archeology. Photo: AFP
As reported by the Information and Scientific News Service (SINC), Edgar Tellez, member of the Atapuerca Investigation Team, they found several bone remains covered with clay, and after having cleaned and analyzed them by various specialists of the team they were able to confirm that “said remains they corresponded to a human jaw“.
This fossil, about ten centimeters long, corresponds to a piece of the face of a human being, whose age it could be about 1.4 million yearsthe Foundation specified in a note.
In 2007, at the Atapuerca site, it was found a 1.2 million year old jawconsidered to be the oldest hominid fossil in Europe to date.
The face piece found in Sima del Elefante is 14 centimeters
“Naturally, you have to do those dates to complete that first estimate, “said José María Bermúdez de Castro, co-director of the Atapuerca project.
“As the face piece it appeared in a layer of earth just two meters below the line where the jaw appeared in 2007, the logical and reasonable thing is to think that it is older, “continued the researcher.
The dating, which will take place at the National Center for Research on Human Evolution (Cenieh) in Burgos, 10 kilometers from Atapuerca, it should last six to eight months, according to Bermudez de Castro. However, due to the difference in the depth of the burial, experts are convinced that it is an earlier being than the one found in 2007.
Researcher Elena Moreno works on the piece of jaw found in the Sierra de Atapuerca in northern Spain. Photo: AFP
According to the Foundation, the analysis of the Cenieh would also allow us to identify the human species to which this hominid belonged and better understand how it has evolved and the human being developed on the European continent.
So far, paleontologists have not been able to determine with certainty which species the jaw discovered in 2007. This fossil may correspond to the species. Homo ancestor, discovered in the 90s.
“It is very likely that the new fossil is related to that jaw and that it belongs to one of the first populations to colonize Europe“, the Atapuerca Foundation said in a statement.
The archaeological site around the Sierra de Atapuerca, in Burgos, contains thousands of pieces of late Pleistocene lithic industry.
“If so, we will be able to – finally – determine the identity of the human species della Sima del Elefante, “he added.
Several pieces of lithic industry e faunal remains with evidence of consumption by humans associated with this find at the Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES) in Tarragona.
“The determination of the vertebrate fossil species obtained at this level will give us a very accurate picture of the climatic and ecosystem conditions where the first settlers of Europe lived, “concluded the researchers.
This is the first human jaw found in Atapuerca, which until today was the oldest in Europe. It is 1,200,000 years old.
The exceptionally rich deposits of the Sierra de Atapuerca are classified as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
A lion’s jaw found at the Covacha de los Zarpazos site in Burgos.
Thousands of fossils and human tools have been unearthed there, including a carved flint 1.4 million years discovered in 2013.
Source: Clarin
