After discovering fossilized facial bones in Spain, researchers now say they’ve found the oldest face of Western Europe.
In 2022, researchers with the Atapuerca Project uncovered facial bones from an early human ancestor at the Sima del Elefante site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos) in northern Spain. The fossil date ranges from 1.1 million years to 1.4 million years old. After detailed study, researchers announced that the facial bones were not that of Homo antecessor, but of a different hominin.
Their findings were brought together by a collaborative research team from the Catalan Institute of Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES-CERCA), Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), and the National Human Evolution Research Centre (CENIEH) — recently published in Nature.
Read More: Romanian Animal Fossils Reveal Hominin Spread Into Europe 2 Million Years Ago
Hominin in Between
During the excavation, the Atapuerca Research Team (EIA) uncovered fragments of the left side of an adult hominin’s face. The team found the fossils at level TE7 at Sima del Elefante and thus named the individual ATE7-1, or Pink.
Using a combination of traditional methods and new technology, the research team reconstructed the face after two years. From there, the team identified that the facial bones did not belong to Homo antecessor, an early human species previously identified at the nearby site of Gran Dolina that is about 860,000 years old.
From what the team could tell, ATE7-1’s facial bones belonged to a more primitive hominin species. However, there was not enough evidence to determine which species it belonged to, so researchers classified ATE7-1 as Homo affinis erectus.
"Homo antecessor shares with Homo sapiens a more modern-looking face and a prominent nasal bone structure, whereas Pink’s facial features are more primitive, resembling Homo erectus, particularly in its flat and underdeveloped nasal structure," said María Martinón-Torres, director of CENIEH and a lead researcher of the Atapuerca Project, in a press release.
"The evidence is still insufficient for a definitive classification, which is why it has been assigned to H. aff. erectus. This designation acknowledges Pink’s affinities with Homo erectus while leaving open the possibility that it may belong to another species," said Martinón-Torres in the release.
A Hominin Hotbed
Level TE7, where ATE7-1 was found, appears to be a hotbed for hominin activity during the Early Pleistocene. Researchers have also found animal remains with notable cut marks and stone tools, suggesting these lithic tools were used to process animals for food.
"Although the quartz and flint tools found are simple, they suggest an effective subsistence strategy and highlight the hominins' ability to exploit the resources available in their environment,” said Xosé Pedro Rodríguez-Álvarez, a lithic industries specialist, in a press release.
Other paleoecological evidence suggested that the area was a mixture of woods and wet grasslands, where there was a seasonal water source during the Early Pleistocene, and it would have been an ideal place for our early ancestors to live.
Pieces of Evolutionary History
The discovery of H. aff. erectus is a crucial part of helping researchers better understand early human settlement in Europe.
“This site is crucial for understanding our origins, and this new discovery further solidifies Atapuerca’s position as a global leader in the study of human evolution,” Marina Mosquera, director of IPHES-CERCA and one of the leading researchers of the Atapuerca Project, said in a press release.
After this discovery, researchers are now looking into hominin diversity in Europe and hoping they can find more pieces of our evolutionary history.
“The discovery of evidence for different hominin populations in Western Europe during the Early Pleistocene suggests that this region was a key point in the evolutionary history of the genus Homo,” said Eudald Carbonell, co-director of the Atapuerca Project, in a press release.
Read More: Hominins Made Bone Tools 1.5 Million Years Ago, Hinting At Abstract Thought
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A graduate of UW-Whitewater, Monica Cull wrote for several organizations, including one that focused on bees and the natural world, before coming to Discover Magazine. Her current work also appears on her travel blog and Common State Magazine. Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who.
