Additional Coverage:
- Fossilized face fragments are oldest human ancestor remains ever found in Western Europe (nbcnews.com)
Oldest Human Fossil in Western Europe Discovered in Spain
Atapuerca, Spain—Researchers have unearthed fossilized facial fragments belonging to an ancient human ancestor in a cave in northern Spain. This remarkable find represents the oldest human fossil ever discovered in Western Europe, estimated to be between 1.1 and 1.4 million years old.
Nicknamed “Pink” (a nod to both the band Pink Floyd and the study’s lead author, Rosa Huguet), the fossil presents a puzzle. It doesn’t appear to match any previously identified species from the region and cannot be definitively categorized. “We are documenting a previously unknown human population in Europe,” explained María Martinón-Torres, a paleoanthropologist at the Spanish National Research Center for Human Evolution and co-author of the study published in Nature.
This discovery has significant implications for understanding early human settlement in Western Europe. It potentially bridges the evolutionary gap between the 1.8-million-year-old fossils found in Dmanisi, Georgia, and the Homo antecessor species dating back 900,000 years. According to Rodrigo Lacruz, a professor at New York University who was not involved in the study, the fossil represents a unique stage in human evolution, distinct from both the Dmanisi fossils and the later Homo antecessor.
Found approximately 60 feet below the surface in the Sima del Elefante cave (also known as “elephant chasm”), Pink is believed to be from an adult of unknown sex. Stone tools and butchered animal bones were also found within the same sedimentary layer, suggesting these early humans were skilled hunters.
The Atapuerca region, known for its rich fossil record, likely served as a natural corridor with abundant resources, attracting early human populations. However, the fragmented fossil record indicates periods of human absence, possibly due to climactic shifts. One such shift, occurring around 1.1 million years ago, may have led to a significant depopulation of Western Europe, according to Chris Stringer, a human evolution expert at the Natural History Museum in London.
Interestingly, Pink was found just six feet deeper than a 1.2-million-year-old jawbone fragment discovered in the same cave in 2007, suggesting an even earlier human presence. The researchers remain optimistic about future discoveries.
“We’re going to keep excavating,” Martinón-Torres stated. “We may have more surprises.”