2023-09-19 12:59:49
A team of researchers has identified Neanderthal remains from 50,000 years ago from the site of the Simanya Cave (Sant Llorenç Savall), located in the Natural Park of Sant Llorenç del Munt i de l’Obac (Barcelona). It is about 54 remains corresponding to at least three individuals, an adult, a young person and a child, who were presented this Tuesday at an event at the Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya, in Barcelona.
The results, led by researchers Juan Ignacio Moralesfrom the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES), Artur Cebriàfrom the University of Barcelona, co-directors of the excavation, and by the paleoanthropologist Antonio Rosasfrom the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC), are published in the journal Frontiers in Earth Science.
The remains correspond to three individuals: an adult, probably a woman, a young man of about 11 or 12 years old, and a child of about 7 – 8 years old.
The remains correspond to an adult, probably a woman, a young man of about 11 or 12 years old and a child of about 7 or 8 years old.
“The adult individual stands out especially, of which remains of both arms have been identified; among them there are an entire humerus and a practically complete handand also the feet, as well as different vertebrae and ribs,” says Rosas, director of the Paleoanthropology Group of the MNCN-CSIC.
They have also been identified 10 dental pieces and a jaw fragment. Two of these teeth belong to the juvenile and the remaining eight may be compatible with the adult, although “the possibility that they correspond to more individuals cannot be ruled out,” she adds.
The complex presents unequivocal anatomical features that allow it to be attributed to Neanderthals. These details not only help to differentiate these individuals from other species of the genus Homobut also allow us to better understand the Neanderthal phylogeography that populated Europe before the arrival of our species A wise man.
“The first dating carried out indicates that the presence of Neanderthals in the Simanya Cave is older than the carbon 14 limit; that is, prior to 50,000 years,” says Morales. Alternative dating techniques are currently being carried out that should allow the age of the remains to be determined with better precision.
Along with the use of the cave by the Neanderthals, field work has shown that the place also served as a hibernation shelter for both the brown bone as for him cave bear; a use that lasted until at least 42,000 years ago.
“Much later, the cave was used sporadically from the Neolithic until much more recent times,” says Morales.
A key cave to learn about Neanderthals
The Simanya Cave It has more than 300 meters of length and, due to its accessibility, it has been one of the best-known and most visited caves in Catalonia.
The study of a set of materials deposited in the facilities of the Museum of Archeology of Catalonia coming from interventions in the years 1978-79 alerted researchers to the presence of Neanderthal remains in Cova Simanya.
The study of materials deposited in the Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya from interventions in 1978-79 warned of the presence of Neanderthal remains
In 2020, a research project began whose objectives are the study of human fossil remains and their archaeo-paleontological context.
Recent excavation work has made it possible to reconstruct the origin and history of the Neanderthal remains, as well as the recovery of new ones. Likewise, the stone tools recovered, animal bones processed by Neanderthals and documented bonfires suggest that Cova Simanya was a significant enclave for Middle Paleolithic populations.
Central Catalonia, Neanderthal territory
The proximity of the Simanya Cave to other Middle Paleolithic archaeological sites such as the Coves del Toll (Moià), the Abric Romaní (Capellades) or the Cova Gran de Collbató, clearly shows that central Catalonia was a key territory for activities and settlements. of the Neanderthals during the Late Pleistocene.
In the next excavation campaigns, the team plans to continue work on the Simanya karst complex, including the Cova del Triangle and Cova de la Canallocated just 50 meters away, with the aim of gaining a deeper understanding of the prehistoric settlement in this key territory.
In addition to researchers from the IPHES (CERCA), the UB and the MNCN, others from the Autonomous University of Madrid, the University of Santiago de Compostela, the University of Alicante, the Institute of Evolutionary Biology of the Pompeu University have also participated in the study Fabra-CSIC, the Catalan Institute of Paleontology, the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona and the University of Bologna (Italy).
Institutional support and financing
From an institutional point of view, these results are the product of the synergies and coordinated work between the Department of Culture of the Generalitat of Catalonia, through the Archeology Service and the Museum of Archeology of Catalonia, and the Provincial Council of Barcelona in through the Natural Park of Sant Llorenç del Munt and Obac.
The archaeological investigation in Cueva Simanya is part of the four-year project ARQ001SOL-172-2022 “Cultural transitions during the Pleistocene and the Holocene in the littoral-prelittoral of Catalonia”, linked to the Seminar of Prehistoric Studies and Research of the UB, and approved by the Department of Culture of the Generalitat of Catalonia; from the MNCN-CSIC project PID2021-122356NB-I00; and the Palarq Foundation. The excavations have the support and funding of the Natural Park of Sant Llorenç del Munt i de l’Obac and the Provincial Council of Barcelona, which have proceeded to protect the site and organize guided tours.
Fuente: CSIC/IPHES
Rights: Creative Commons.
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