Researchers in northern Spain have discovered what may be the oldest human remains ever found in Europe. The Atapuerca Foundation, which has been organizing excavations in the municipality of the same name in Burgos province since 1978, said the age of a facial bone fragment about four inches long was estimated to be about 1.4 million years.
The dating should now last between six and eight months. The study could also show what species prehistoric humans belonged to, according to the Atapuerca Foundation. This, in turn, could lead to a better understanding of how humans evolved on the European continent.
Until now, paleontologists have not been able to determine with certainty to which human species the jaw discovered in 2007 belonged. They are thought to be the remains of a Homo antecessor, a species discovered and named in the 1990s.
Fossil probably belongs to the first populations in Europe
“It is very likely that the new Sima del Elefante fossil is related to this jaw and belongs to one of the first populations to colonize Europe,” according to the Atapuerca Foundation. “If this is the case, we can finally determine the identity of the human species Sima del Elefante.”
The extraordinarily rich archaeological sites in the Sierra de Atapuerca Mountains have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. Thousands of human fossils and tools have been unearthed there, including a polished flint found in 2013 that dates back 1.4 million years.
Source: Krone
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