Early pleistocene human humeri from the gran dolina‐TD6 site (sierra de atapuerca, spain)

Abstract

In this report, we present a morphometric comparative study of two Early Pleistocene humeri recovered from the TD6 level of the Gran Dolina cave site in Sierra de Atapuerca, northern Spain. ATD6-121 belongs to a child between 4 and 6 years old, whereas ATD6-148 corresponds to an adult. ATD6-148 exhibits the typical pattern of the genus Homo, but it also shows a large olecranon fossa and very thin medial and lateral pillars (also present in ATD6-121), sharing these features with European Middle Pleistocene hominins, Neandertals, and the Bodo Middle Pleistocene humerus. The morphology of the distal epiphysis, together with a few dental traits, suggests a phylogenetic relationship between the TD6 hominins and the Neandertal lineage. Given the older geochronological age of these hominins (ca. 900 ka), which is far from the age estimated by palaeogenetic studies for the population divergence of modern humans and Neandertals (ca. 400 ka), we suggest that this suite of derived "Neandertal" features appeared early in the evolution of the genus Homo. Thus, these features are not "Neandertal" apomorphies but traits which appeared in an ancestral and polymorphic population during the Early Pleistocene.

Reassessing the age of Atapuerca-TD6 (Spain): new paleomagnetic results

“…The comparative study of these specimens changed previous conclusions about the phylogenetic relationships of H. antecessor and suggests that this species represents an oldest and probably European extinct lineage, different from other African lineages, and closer to Asian hominins like those of Zhoukoudian. Also of interest are two humeri, ATD6-121 (immature), and ATD6-148 (adult), which exhibit some of the previously assumed derived Neandertal features at the distal epiphysis (Bermúdez de Castro et al, 2012). In 1995, a magnetostratigraphic section at Gran Dolina revealed an up section, reverse-to-normal polarity change within the TD7 stratigraphic layer, about 1 m above the Aurora Stratum Pérez-González, 1995, 1999).…”

The primate fossil record in the Iberian Peninsula

“…Main references: Arsuaga et al (1993Arsuaga et al ( , 1997Arsuaga et al ( , 1999Carbonell et al (1995Carbonell et al ( , 2005; Bermúdez de Castro et al (1997Castro et al ( , 2008Castro et al ( , 2012a; Carretero et al (1999); Lorenzo et al (1999); Trinkaus et al (2003); Maroto et al (1987) Iberian localities: Gran Dolina TD6 and Sima de los Huesos in Atapuerca (Burgos); Cueva Negra del Estrecho del Quípar (Murcia); Galeria Pesada -Gruta da Aroeira (Ribatejo); Cova de Mollet I (Girona).…”

Temporal labyrinths of eastern Eurasian Pleistocene humans

“…Indeed, many of the features so used are generally ancestral for later Homo (if poorly documented other than among the Neandertals), of unknown phylogenetic polarity, of uncertain primacy in morphological integration, and/or isolated features in otherwise non-Neandertal remains. The Xujiayao 15 labyrinthine morhology, and other features documented for eastern Eurasian and the earlier Pleistocene Homo (e.g., 16,19,20,28,36,39,42,53), suggest that many of the purported "Neandertal" features were widespread during the Pleistocene, albeit often occurring in higher frequencies among the Neandertals.…”