Robert Sala

The first hominin of Europe

The earliest hominin occupation of Europe is one of the most debated topics in palaeoanthropology. However, the purportedly oldest of the Early Pleistocene sites in Eurasia lack precise age control and contain stone tools rather than human fossil remains. Here we report the discovery of a human mandible associated with an assemblage of Mode 1 lithic tools and faunal remains bearing traces of hominin processing, in stratigraphic level TE9 at the site of the Sima del Elefante, Atapuerca, Spain. Level TE9 has been dated to the Early Pleistocene (approximately 1.2–1.1 Myr), based on a combination of palaeomagnetism, cosmogenic nuclides and biostratigraphy. The Sima del Elefante site thus emerges as the oldest, most accurately dated record of human occupation in Europe, to our knowledge. The study of the human mandible suggests that the first settlement of Western Europe could be related to an early demographic expansion out of Africa. The new evidence, with previous findings in other Atapuerca sites (level TD6 from Gran Dolina), also suggests that a speciation event occurred in this extreme area of the Eurasian continent during the Early Pleistocene, initiating the hominin lineage represented by the TE9 and TD6 hominins.

Lower Pleistocene hominids and artifacts from Atapuerca-TD6 (Spain)

Human remains dating to more than 780,000 years ago are associated with a rich faunal and lithic assemblage in the Pleistocene cave site of Gran Dolina (TD), Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain. The micromammal species represent the late Biharian (Mimomys savini zone), and the lithic objects represent pre-Acheulean technology (Mode 1) and comes from the TD6 level below the Matuyama-Brunhes boundary. The Gran Dolina hominid fossils cannot be comfortably accommodated in any of the defined Homo species. They could be considered a primitive form of Homo heidelbergensis, but a new species might be named in the future if the sample is enlarged. The new human fossil evidence demonstrates that Western Europe was settled at least since the late early Pleistocene.

A new early Pleistocene hominin mandible from Atapuerca-TD6, Spain

We present the description of a new mandibular specimen, ATD6-113, recovered in 2006 from the TD6 level of the Gran Dolina cave site in Sierra de Atapuerca, northern Spain. A detailed study of the lithostratigraphy of the top sequence of this level, the section from where all human remains have been recovered so far, is also presented. We have observed that the hominin stratum, previously defined as Aurora Stratum, represents a condensed deposit of at least six layers, which could not be distinguished in the test pit made in 1994-95. Therefore, the human fossil remains were probably deposited during a discrete and undetermined time period. The new mandibular fragment exhibits a very similar morphology to that of the most complete specimen, ATD6-96, which was recovered in 2003 from a different layer. This suggests that both specimens represent the same biological population. The two mandibles, as well as the small mandibular fragment ATD6-5 (which constitutes part of the holotype of Homo antecessor), present a morphological pattern clearly derived with regard to that of the African early Homo specimens usually included in H. habilis and H. rudolfensis, the mandibles D211 and D2735 from Dmanisi, and most of the early Pleistocene mandibles from Sangiran. The TD6 mandibles also exhibit some derived features with regard to the African early Pleistocene specimens included in H. ergaster (or African H. erectus). Thus, the TD6 hominins seem to represent a lineage different from other African and Asian lineages, although some (metric in particular) similarities with Chinese middle Pleistocene mandibles are noted. Interestingly, none of the apomorphic mandibular features of the European middle and early late Pleistocene hominins are present in the TD6 mandibles.

A new key locality for the Pliocene vertebrate record of Europe: the Camp dels Ninots maar (NE Spain)

A new Pliocene Konservat-Lagerstatte in north-eastern Spain is described here for the first time. It is referred to as Camp dels Ninots. The particular geological conditions of the site, which correspond to lacustrine sedimentation in a maar, made it ideal for the preservation of fossils. At present, five large mammal skeletons in anatomical connection have been recovered: three individuals of Alephis tigneresi, one of Stephanorhinus jeanvireti and one of Tapirus arvernenis, as well as isolated remains. A minimum of five individuals of the chelonian Mauremys leprosa have been recovered, some of them in anatomical connection. The rodent Apodemus atavus, the amphibians cf. Pleurodeles sp., Lissotriton aff. helveticus and Pelophylax cf. perezi and freshwater fishes (Leuciscus ?) complete the vertebrate assemblage uncovered up to the present time. The coexistence of Stephanorhinus jeanvireti and Alephis tigneresi suggests an age of about 3.2Ma for the Camp dels Ninots, near the MN15-MN16 transition. The Camp del Ninots fossil record enables one to extend the biogeographic range of some vertebrate taxa, such as Stephanorhinus jeanvireti, Tapirus arvernensis or Mauremys leprosa to the Iberian Peninsula. Taphonomic evidences of the skeletal remains indicates minimal (if any) weathering. Deposition at the lake bottom seems to have taken place in oxygen depleted layers. In this way, Camp dels Ninots is comparable to other remarkable maar sites such as Messel, the Eocene site situated in Germany.

Sleeping Activity Area within the Site Structure of Archaic Human Groups: Evidence from Abric Romaní Level N Combustion Activity Areas

The identification of different prehistoric activity areas and Neanderthal behavior is one of the main research goals at the Abric Romaní site, which is a well‐preserved and microstratified Mousterian archaeological site. A conspicuous occupation surface excavated in level N yielded a remarkably preserved set of aligned combustion activity areas in the inner zone of the living surface. This set of combustion activity areas suggests analogy with sleeping‐and‐resting activity areas of modern foragers. Multidisciplinary analyses suggest (1) diachronic occupation and (2) similar use of the inner zone of the living floor. The sleeping area comprises five combustion activity areas, spaced at approximately 1 m distance from each other. A large wood imprint of travertine was found near the inner zone, suggesting an architectural remain of a prehistoric dwelling. Descriptions of archaic human sleeping activity areas are very few in Paleolithic archaeology. This identification is a proxy for estimating the number of individuals of Mousterian groups that occupied the Abric Romaní rock shelter around 55 kyr BP.

Perspectives méthodologiques de l'analyse fonctionnelle des ensembles lithiques du Pléistocène inférieur et moyen d'Atapuerca (Burgos, Espagne)

Methodological Perspectives of Usewear Analysis Applied to Lithic Assemblages from Atapuercas (Burgos, Spain) Lower and Middle Pleistocene. This work presents a methodological revision of the usewear analysis applied to ancient lithic assemblages. The aim of this revision is the application of usewear to the Atapuerca sites. In this way, functional data recovered so far at the Gran Dolina and Galeria sites are presented. The conclusion obtained deals with the actual function of tools, as well as the relation between use and lithic production systems.

From Homogeneity to Multiplicity: A New Approach to the Study of ArchaicStone Tools

Evidence from sites both in Africa and in Eurasia points towards an ever expanding archaeological record for archaic industries attributed largely to the Oldowan tradition. We have therefore found it necessary to re-examine data from some of these sites and to propose a new framework for the evolution of early technology to better express its variability. The variability observed in so-called Oldowan or Mode 1 lithic assemblages is described and analyzed in a three phase evolutionary sequence: variability, diversity and multiplicity. Finally, these three phases are described for the African and European archaeological record until the appearance of Mode 2.

Les premiers comportements funéraires auraient-ils pris place à Atapuerca, il y a 350 000 ans ?

Resume Pour la premiere fois, un outil lithique a ete decouvert a la Sima de los Huesos (Atapuerca, Espagne). Il s’agit d’un biface en quartzite finement taille, associe a l’ensemble d’hominides de 27 (NMI) Homo heidelbergensis, date de plus de 350 000 ans. La nature particuliere de ce depot, sa taphonomie, l’aspect paleontologique et technologique evoquent une signification symbolique a la fois de l’outil et de l’accumulation d’ossements humains.

Amphibians and squamate reptiles from the late Miocene (Vallesian) of eastern Morocco (Guefaït-1, Jerada Province)

ABSTRACT The fossil amphibians and squamate reptiles from the late Miocene (Vallesian) of Guefaït-1 are described for the first time. The herpetofaunal assemblage is composed of Discoglossinae indet., Lacertidae indet., Dopasia sp. (Anguidae), Colubridae s. 1. indet., and Naja cf. antiqua (Elapidae). This herpetofaunal assemblage is less diverse than the Moroccan herpetofauna from the middle and early late Miocene mainly because of the absence of Afro-tropical taxa, probably due to increasing aridity; likewise, it is less diverse than the Plio-Pleistocene herpetofauna, which was enriched by the entry of some European taxa during the Messinian Crisis. The presence of a discoglossine frog, different from all existing European and North African genera, in the late Miocene of Guefaït-1 suggests that the diversity of this group in the Miocene of North Africa may have been greater than previously thought. The occurrence of an anguid lizard of the genus Dopasia in the Miocene of Morocco is confirmed and may constitute the earliest record of the genus for Africa. The range of the cobra Naja antiqua, until now only known from the middle Miocene (Mellalesian) of Beni Mellal, Morocco, is extended; this constitutes the latest record of the species.

Limestone percussion tools from the late Early Pleistocene sites of Barranco León and Fuente Nueva 3 (Orce, Spain).

In recent years, there is growing interest in the study of percussion scars and breakage patterns on hammerstones, cores and tools from Oldowan African and Eurasian lithic assemblages. Oldowan stone toolkits generally contain abundant small-sized flakes and their corresponding cores, and are characterized by their structural dichotomy of heavy- and light-duty tools. This paper explores the significance of the lesser known heavy-duty tool component, providing data from the late Lower Pleistocene sites of Barranco León and Fuente Nueva 3 (Orce, Spain), dated 1.4–1.2 Myr. Using quantitative and qualitative data from the large-sized limestone industries from these two major sites, we present a new methodology highlighting their morpho-technological features. In the light of the results, we discuss the shortfalls of extant classificatory methods for interpreting the role of percussive technology in early toolkits. This work is rooted in an experimental program designed to reproduce the wide range of percussion marks observed on the limestone artefacts from these two sites. A visual and descriptive reference is provided as an interpretative aid for future comparative research. Further experiments using a variety of materials and gestures are still needed before the elusive traces yield the secrets of the kinds of percussive activities carried out by hominins at these, and other, Oldowan sites.