Homínidos y hienas en el Calvero de la Higuera (Pinilla del Valle, Madrid) durante el Pleistoceno superior. Resultados preliminares.

Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEpu

Palaeontological analisis of the Late Pleistocene Site of Cova Foradada (Xábia, Alicante, Spain)

En este trabajo se presenta el estudio de la estratigrafía, secuencia polínica, taxonomía y tafonomía del yacimiento del Pleistoceno superior de Cova Foradada, Xábia (Alicante). Las especies de macromamíferos representadas en el yacimiento son, dentro de los carnívoros, Panthera pardus (Linnaeus, 1978), Lynx pardinus (Temminck, 1827) y Felis silvestris (Schreber, 1777); del grupo de los artiodáctilos, Cervus elaphus (Linnaeus, 1978), Capra pyrenaica (Schinz, 1838), Bos primigenius (Bojanus, 1827) y Sus scrofa (Linnaeus, 1978). Se han identificado dos especies de perisodáctilos Equus ferus (Boddaert , 1785) y Equus hydruntinus (Regalia, 1904). En todos los niveles del yacimiento se observa un claro predominio de los ungulados de talla media (Cervus elaphus) y talla pequeña (Capra pyrenaica). Los patrones de fracturación indican actividad humana y evidencian el aprovechamiento máximo de los recursos cárnicos. Se han encontrado marcas antrópicas en restos de lince, gato montés y leopardo. El análisis polínico pone de manifiesto el dominio de un paisaje muy abierto y empobrecido desde el punto de vista taxonómico.This study presents aspects related to the stratigraphy, pollen sequence, taxonomy and taphonomy of the Late Pleistocene site of Cova Foradada in Xábia (Alicante, Spain). The fossil material comes from Sector I of the site that comprises eight stratigraphic levels. Some of these levels have been previously dated (Casabó, 2001): 33,900 ± 310 B.P. for Level VII; 29,940 ± 150 B.P. for Level VI; 27,170 ± 150 B.P. and 29,420 ± 190 B.P. for Level V; and 6,130 ± 140 B.P. for Level III. The total number of identifiable remains represents a very low percentage of the total remains, mainly due to the high degree of fragmentation. The macrovertebrate fossils found are: Panthera pardus (Linnaeus, 1978), Lynx pardinus (Temminck, 1827) and Felis silvestris (Schreber, 1777) among the Carnivora; Cervus elaphus (Linnaeus, 1978), Capra pyrenaica (Schinz, 1838), Bos primigenius (Bojanus, 1827) and Sus scrofa (Linnaeus, 1978) among the Artiodactyla ; and Equus ferus (Boddaert , 1785) and Equus hydruntinus (Regalia, 1904) among the Perisodactyla. Mid- and small-sized ungulates are clearly predominant along the whole sequence, such as Cervus elaphus for the former, and Capra pyrenaica for the latter. The taphonomical analysis allows to discard carnivore activity as the accumulation agent. Signs of carnivore activity are scarce, and they are only present in Level V. Fracture pattern in the bones show human activity as the main agent, characterized by the maximum exploitation of meat resources. Anthropic marks have been found in lynx, wild cat and leopard remains. The patterns of the cuts on these remains are typical of the exploitation of both the flesh and the fleece of these animals. Regarding the paleoenvironmental aspects, the pollen data show predominance of an open environment, depleted from the taxonomical point of view. The detailed pollen analysis allows us to distinguish three levels: the base level shows a more abundant forest cover with Pinus and Juniperus as predominant taxa; the middle level shows signs of a more extreme climate period; and the uppermost level shows a phase of recovering of the flora, with a reduced forest and a varied herbaceous courtship (Apiaceae, Poaceae and Fabaceae).Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEpu

El yacimiento kárstico del Pleistoceno Superior de la Cueva del Camino en el Calvero de la Higuera (Pinilla del Valle, Madrid)

Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEpu

How the Sima de los Huesos was won

Although the first discovery of a human fossil in the Sima de los Huesos took place in 1976, systematic excavations did not begin there until 1984. Since then, this site has been continuously excavated in month-long camps. The site is dated by different radiometric techniques to between 430,000 and 300,000 years ago. Until the 2023 campaign, just over 7000 human fossils have been recovered, constituting the largest collection of fossils prior to Homo sapiens ever discovered. The fossils correspond to a minimum of 29 individuals of both sexes and different ages at death, from preadolescents to a specimen of advanced age. Comparative anatomy and ancient DNA studies both suggest that this is a population closely related to Homo neanderthalensis. The great variety and extraordinary quality of the fossils recovered have allowed us to carry out a series of investigations that have greatly increased our knowledge about the evolution of Homo in the Middle Pleistocene. Among the most important discoveries, it has been possible to establish body size and proportions, the confirmation that the origin of the accumulation of human fossils was of an anthropic nature, that those past humans took care of disabled individuals and who were capable of having an oral language almost as complex and efficient as that of our own species.MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDERUniversidad de AlcaláMCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033European Union's Horizon 2020Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEpu