Taphonomic inferences about Middle Pleistocene hominins: The human cranium of Gruta da Aroeira (Portugal)

Sanz, Montserrat; Sala, Nohemi; Daura, Joan; Pantoja-Pérez, Ana; Santos, Elena; Zilhão, João; Arsuaga, Juan Luís

doi:10.1002/ajpa.23689

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…In our excavation trench the stratification tends to horizontal because it lies at the foot of a talus whose dip is, however, significant. Like everything else-stone tools 50 , cut-marked or otherwise human-modified bones, or the Aroeira 1-3 human fossils (cranium and teeth) 36,72 -the burnt materials found in our trench must have been syn-depositionally displaced along the talus from a primary locus of deposition located upslope, nearer the cave porch-as proposed for levels 15-19 of Gruta da Oliveira, a Middle Palaeolithic cave site located ca. 40 m lower down in the Almonda escarpment 73 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Early evidence of fire in south-western Europe: the Acheulean site of Gruta da Aroeira (Torres Novas, Portugal)

Sanz

Daura

Cabanes

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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the site of Gruta da Aroeira (torres novas, portugal), with evidence of human occupancy dating to ca. 400 ka (Marine Isotope Stage 11), is one of the very few Middle Pleistocene localities to have provided a fossil hominin cranium associated with Acheulean bifaces in a cave context. the multianalytic study reported here of the by-products of burning recorded in layer X suggests the presence of anthropogenic fires at the site, among the oldest such evidence in southwestern Europe. The burnt material consists of bone, charcoal and, possibly, quartzite cobbles. These finds were made in a small area of the cave and in two separate occupation horizons. our results add to our still-limited knowledge about the controlled use of fire in the Lower Palaeolithic and contribute to ongoing debates on the behavioural complexity of the Acheulean of europe. Controlling the use of fire was a technological milestone in human evolution that broadened diet, expanded the ecological range, and provided a powerful defensive and offensive tool 1-4. It required a complex mind, capable of predicting fire behaviour and fuel needs, and imposed high energetic costs 5. Identifying the point in human

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Early evidence of fire in south-western Europe: the Acheulean site of Gruta da Aroeira (Torres Novas, Portugal)

Sanz

Daura

Cabanes

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…In addition to the direct study of the fossils, we performed taphonomic and forensic analyses based on virtual reconstructions. CT scanning and 3D virtual imaging provide an opportunity to study critical aspects of fracture features, especially when the different bone fragments are glued together (Gómez‐Olivencia et al, 2018; Pantoja‐Pérez et al, 2016; Sala et al, 2016; Sanz et al, 2018). In this work, we examine the timing of each fracture as antemortem (i.e., before death), perimortem (i.e., at or around the time of death), and postmortem fractures (i.e., occurring long after death) in cranial remains.…”

Section: Materials and Methodological Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, they are geographically and chronologically dispersed and bone assemblages representing the same biological population are infrequently found. Excluding the cannibalism assemblages (de Lumley, 2015; Saladié et al, 2012), in the best of cases isolated fossils can be characterized taphonomically (Sanz et al, 2018), with one exception: La Sima de los Huesos (SH). The SH hominin assemblage is composed of more than 7,000 fossil fragments derived from 29 individuals (Bermúdez de Castro et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Taphonomic‐forensic analysis of the hominin skulls from the Sima de los Huesos

Sala

Pantoja-Pérez

Gràcia

et al. 2022

The Anatomical Record

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The Sima de los Huesos (SH) hominin assemblage is composed of thousands of fossil fragments, including pieces of crania and mandibles. The main objective of this work is to address the main taphonomic features of the cranial and mandibular remains from the SH sample, including antemortem, perimortem, and postmortem skeletal disturbances. We present an updated assessment of healed cranial trauma, first described in 1997 and now including new skulls. In addition, this study reviews the perimortem fractures in relation to their location and features of the affected individuals. Finally, this paper deals with the modifications affecting the cranial sample from the SH at the postmortem stage, including physical and biological postdepositional modifications. The SH collection provides a unique opportunity for conducting a complete forensic‐taphonomic study on a Middle Pleistocene population.

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“…Tão-pouco foi identificada qualquer prova de modificação antropogénica ou por carnívoros. Como o canibalismo e o tratamento secundário do cadáver podem ser postos de parte, acidente é a explicação mais plausível para a fractura craniana (Sanz et al 2018).…”

Section: Restos Humanosunclassified

“…O método Levallois não está representado. A análise de núcleos e lascas mostra que o talhe seguiu principalmente um esquema centrípeto (Daura et al, 2018). Os núcleos esgotados, tanto de quartzo como de quartzito, apresentam mais frequentemente uma organização bipiramidal, embora uma pequena percentagem seja unipolar ou bipolar; a debitagem bipolar sobre bigorna está representada por alguns exemplares de quartzo.…”

Section: Indústria Líticaunclassified

O sítio acheulense do Plistocénico médio da Gruta da Aroeira

Daura¹,

Sanz²,

Rodrigues³

et al. 2020

Arqueologia Em Portugal 2020 - Estado Da Questão - Textos

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Dated to ca. 400 ka (Marine Isotope Stage 11), the site of Gruta da Aroeira (Torres Novas, Portugal) is one of the very few Middle Pleistocene localities that have yielded a fossil hominin cranium associated with Acheulean bifaces, in a cave context. Our multi-analytical approach to the site’s archaeological record focused on different aspects: the human cranium (Aroeira 3), the faunal remains, the use of fire, and the lithic industry. The Aroeira 3 fossil cranium displays a primitive bony labyrinth and a perimortem bone fracture. The lithic assemblage suggests limited mobility, with on-site knapping; the bifaces, however, were brought to the site as finished tools. Among the faunal remains, the primate Macaca sylvanus is present and cervids, including the Mediterranean deer Haploidocerus mediterraneus, previously undocumented in the Middle Pleistocene of the Iberian Peninsula, predominate. Paleoenvironmental reconstruction using the small vertebrate assemblage suggests an open woodland landscape with semi-humid conditions. The presence of combustion by-products supports the controlled use of fire by the peoples of the Acheulean.

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Taphonomic inferences about Middle Pleistocene hominins: The human cranium of Gruta da Aroeira (Portugal)

Abstract: Cannibalism, secondary treatment of the corpse and accumulation induced by carnivores can all be discarded, making an accident the most plausible explanation for the cranial fracture.

Cited by 8 publications

References 73 publications

Early evidence of fire in south-western Europe: the Acheulean site of Gruta da Aroeira (Torres Novas, Portugal)

Early evidence of fire in south-western Europe: the Acheulean site of Gruta da Aroeira (Torres Novas, Portugal)

Taphonomic‐forensic analysis of the hominin skulls from the Sima de los Huesos

O sítio acheulense do Plistocénico médio da Gruta da Aroeira

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