Archeology: 'the face of the first European' found in Spain - Culture - ANSAMed

MADRID - It would be "the face of the first European" that found in Atapuerca (Burgos), one of the most important archaeological sites in Europe: the leaders of the research in this place are convinced of this, where the 2022 excavation campaign began a few weeks ago . What was discovered, they explained in a press conference reported by various media, is a human fossil dating back to an era between 1.2 and 1.4 million years ago, or a period prior to that of the first human remains found on site (and so far considered the first traces of human presence in Europe).

In other words, a discovery that could "force us to rewrite the books of human evolution," according to paleoanthropologist Juan Luis Arsuaga, one of the three directors of the Atapuerca excavations.

The discovery was made in level 7 of the 'Sima del Elefante' deposit, which has so far been partially unexplored.

The earliest earlier remains found at Atapuerca were found at level 9. According to El País, the author of the discovery presented today is a doctoral student, Édgar Téllez.

The human species to which the fossil found could belong has not yet been determined: this is precisely one of the challenges that the archaeologists of Atapuerca are now preparing to face.

The Museum of Human Evolution, where the discoveries of the site are kept, has defined the discovery made known today as "the most important in the history" of this deposit.

According to Arsuaga, the discovery of facial bones represents "a scientific miracle", because usually what is found are parts of the skull and not of the face of the ancient hominids.