A Hominid from the Lower Pleistocene of Atapuerca, Spain: Possible Ancestor to Neandertals and Modern Humans

Author:

Bermúdez de Castro J. M.123,Arsuaga J. L.123,Carbonell E.123,Rosas A.123,Martı́nez I.123,Mosquera M.123

Affiliation:

1. J. M. Bermúdez de Castro and A. Rosas, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC), Departamento de Paleobiologı́a, J. Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.

2. J. L. Arsuaga and I. Martı́nez, Departamento de Paleontologı́a, Facultad de CC Geológicas, Instituto de Geologı́a Económica UCM-CSIC, Unidad Asociada Atapuerca, Grupo de Paleoantropologı́a, CSIC, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.

3. E. Carbonell and M. Mosquera, Laboratori d’Arqueologia, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Unidad Asociada Atapuerca, Grupo de Prehistoria, CSIC, Plaza Imperial Tarraco 1, 43005 Tarragona, Spain.

Abstract

Human fossil remains recovered from the TD6 level (Aurora stratum) of the lower Pleistocene cave site of Gran Dolina, Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain, exhibit a unique combination of cranial, mandibular, and dental traits and are suggested as a new species of Homo—H. antecessor sp. nov. The fully modern midfacial morphology of the fossils antedates other evidence of this feature by about 650,000 years. The midfacial and subnasal morphology of modern humans may be a retention of a juvenile pattern that was not yet present in H. ergaster. Homo antecessor may represent the last common ancestor for Neandertals and modern humans.

Publisher

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Subject

Multidisciplinary

Reference30 articles.

1. M. H. Wolpoff Paleo-Anthropology (Knopf New York 1980) chap 10.

2. Rightmire G. P., J. Hum. Evol. 31, 21 (1996).

3. Lower Pleistocene Hominids and Artifacts from Atapuerca-TD6 (Spain)

4. J. M. Parés and A. Pérez-González ibid. p. 830.

5. Etymology. The name antecessor is the Latin word meaning explorer pioneer early settler. Assigning this name we emphasize that the TD6 hominids belong to the first population as yet known in the European continent. Types. The holotype is a fragment of right mandibular body with M1 M2 and M3 (ATD6-5) and an associated set of teeth from the same individual that includes: right P3 P4 M1 and M2 left C P3 P4 and M1; lower right C (crown fragment) P3 and P4 and left I2. Found by the Atapuerca research team in July 1994. The fossil remains of the holotype and paratypes found in 1994 are listed in table 1 of (3). Most of the remains of the holotype are shown in figure 3 of (3). The paratypes found in 1995 and 1996 are listed in Table 2. Holotype and paratypes are provisionally housed in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales de Madrid CSIC Spain. The final repository of the fossils is the Museo de Burgos. Locality. The Sierra de Atapuerca is situated about 0°10′E and 42°20′N. It is near the Arlanzón River and is 14 km east from the city of Burgos northern Spain. All the fossil specimens attributed to the new species come from the Gran Dolina site (TD). The TD site is 18 m deep and fills the cavity catalogued as BU-IV-A-16 [M. A. Martin S. Domingo T. Antón Kaite 2 41 (1981)]. This cavity is located in the Trinchera del Ferrocarril a dismantled railway trench opened in the southwestern side of the Sierra de Atapuerca. Horizon. All the types come from the so-called Aurora stratum one of the Lower Pleistocene strata of the TD6 level. The top of the Aurora stratum is about 1 m below the Matuyama-Brunhes boundary (4).

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