The Sierra de Atapuerca sites in Spain contain important fossil remains from different time periods. The Sima de los Huesos cave contains remains of at least 28 individuals dated to 300,000 years ago classified as Homo heidelbergensis, including a large cranial capacity similar to Neanderthals. The Gran Dolina site contains 1-1.2 million year old remains named Homo antecessor that are considered ancestral to both humans and Neanderthals. The sites have been excavated since the 1970s and contain significant fossils that have helped understand human evolution in Europe.
The Sierra de Atapuerca sites in Spain contain important fossil remains from different time periods. The Sima de los Huesos cave contains remains of at least 28 individuals dated to 300,000 years ago classified as Homo heidelbergensis, including a large cranial capacity similar to Neanderthals. The Gran Dolina site contains 1-1.2 million year old remains named Homo antecessor that are considered ancestral to both humans and Neanderthals. The sites have been excavated since the 1970s and contain significant fossils that have helped understand human evolution in Europe.
The Sierra de Atapuerca sites in Spain contain important fossil remains from different time periods. The Sima de los Huesos cave contains remains of at least 28 individuals dated to 300,000 years ago classified as Homo heidelbergensis, including a large cranial capacity similar to Neanderthals. The Gran Dolina site contains 1-1.2 million year old remains named Homo antecessor that are considered ancestral to both humans and Neanderthals. The sites have been excavated since the 1970s and contain significant fossils that have helped understand human evolution in Europe.
Locality
date(s):
Sima
de
los
huesos
-‐
300,000±
66,000
years;
Middle
Pleistocene
Gran
Dolina
-‐
~1.0-‐1.2
MYA
Location:
Spain,
42°20’57’’N,
3°30’
51’’
W
Short
Site
Description:
The
Sierra
de
Atapuerca
is
a
series
of
limestone
hills
located
in
Spain.
These
hills
contain
several
cave
systems.
Cueva
Mayor-‐Cueva
del
Silo
is
one
such
cave
system.
Within
Cueva
Mayor-‐Cueva
is
the
cave
of
Sima
de
los
Huesos.
Trinchera
del
Ferrocarril,
is
a
second
cave
system,
located
a
little
more
than
a
half
a
mile
away
from
Cueva
Mayor-‐Cueva
del
Silo.
The
site
of
Gran
Dolina
is
located
within
this
system.
The
site
of
Sima
de
los
Huesos
features
the
remains
of
at
least
28
individuals
classified
as
Homo
heidelbergensis
and
a
single
Acheulean
handaxe.
The
site
of
Gran
Dolina
features
remains
of
Homo
antecessor
and
Oldowan
stone
tools.
Major
Fossil(s):
Numerous!
Fossil
Significance:
Carbonell
and
colleagues
(1999)
argued
that
the
combination
of
traits
seen
in
these
fossils—which
includes
traits
shared
by
modern
humans
and
Neanderthals
and
traits
unique
to
modern
humans
—suggests
that
the
Gran
Dolina
fossils
are
ancestral
to
both
humans
and
Neanderthals.
On
this
basis,
the
remains
found
at
Gran
Dolina
have
been
named
to
a
new
species—Homo
antecessor.
v
The
Sima
de
los
Huesos
crania
share
many
characteristics
with
Neanderthals,
most
notably
their
large
cranial
capacities.
Cranium
4
has
a
cranial
capacity
of
1390
cc,
which
rivals
most
other
European
Middle
Pleistocene
fossils.The
facial
and
mandible
remains
also
show
similarities
with
Neanderthals,
including
midfacial
prognathism,
a
retromolar
space
(space
behind
the
last
molar),
and
double
arched
brow
ridges.
These
similarities
have
lead
some
researchers
to
suggest
that
the
Sima
de
los
Huesos
hominins
were
ancestors
of
Neanderthals.
History:
Sima
de
los
Huesos
was
originally
famous
for
the
fossilized
bear
teeth
discovered
there.
The
initial
hominin
discoveries
at
Sima
de
los
Huesos
were
made
in
1976.
Eight
years
later,
a
team
led
by
Juan
Luis
Arsuaga
began
systematic
excavations
of
the
site.
As
of
today,
thousands
of
fossilized
hominin
remains
have
been
discovered.
Primary
Researcher(s):
Juan
Luis
Arsuaga,
Eugene
Carbonell,
Jose
Bermudez
de
Castro
Major
References
(chronological):
Arsuaga,
Juan-‐Luis,
et
al.
"Three
new
human
skulls
from
the
Sima
de
los
Huesos
Middle
Pleistocene
site
in
Sierra
de
Atapuerca,
Spain."
Nature362.6420
(1993):
534-‐537.
Arsuaga,
Juan
Luis,
et
al.
"The
Sima
de
los
Huesos
crania
(Sierra
de
Atapuerca,
Spain).
A
comparative
study."
Journal
of
Human
Evolution
33.2
(1997):
219-‐281.
Bischoff,
J.
L.,
et
al.
"Geology
and
preliminary
dating
of
the
hominid-‐bearing
sedimentary
fill
of
the
Sima
de
los
Huesos
Chamber,
Cueva
Mayor
of
the
Sierra
de
Atapuerca,
Burgos,
Spain."
Journal
of
Human
Evolution
33.2
(1997):
129-‐154.
Arsuaga,
Juan-‐Luis,
et
al.
"A
complete
human
pelvis
from
the
Middle
Pleistocene
of
Spain."
Nature
399.6733
(1999):
255-‐258.
De
Castro,
JM
Bermúdez,
et
al.
"A
hominid
from
the
Lower
Pleistocene
of
Atapuerca,
Spain:
possible
ancestor
to
Neandertals
and
modern
humans."Science
276.5317
(1997):
1392-‐1395.