Neandertal remains from Cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona)

7

Annual Meeting of the

European

Society

for the study of

Human

Evolution

21-23 September 2017

Editors

Mike Plavcan

University of Arkansas, USA

David M. Alba

Institut Català de

Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont,

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain

Special Issues Editor

Sarah Elton

Durham University, UK

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European Society for the study of Human Evolution

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7th Annual Meeting

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Cover image: Homo erectus holotype cranium and shell engraving, Trinil,

Indonesia (Dubois Collection, Naturalis, Leiden, The Netherlands)

Proceedings of the European Society for the study of Human Evolution Vol. 6

Citation: PESHE 6, 2017

© 2017 European Society for the study of Human Evolution

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PESHE 6 compiled and designed by Mikaela Lui

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ISSN 2195-0776 (Print)

ISSN 2195-0784 (Online)

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Excursion : Naturalis Biodiversity Centre

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Poster Numbers

Abstracts

Index

ESHE • Contents

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

XII

XVIII

1

222

169

Abstracts

Poster Presentation Number 28, Fr (12:15-14:15)

The tempo of the accumulation of hominins from Sima de los Huesos

Nohemi Sala1,2_{, Juan Luis Arsuaga}2_{, Ana Pantoja-Pérez}2,1_{, Adrián Pablos}3,1,2_{, Ignacio Martínez}1,2

1 Grupo de Bioacústica Evolutiva y Paleoantropología (BEP). Departamento de CC. de la Vida, Universidad de Alcalá · 2 -Centro Mixto UCM-ISCIII de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos · 3 - -Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre Evolución Humana

The hominin fossils recovered at the Sima de los Huesos (SH) Middle Pleistocene site (Atapuerca, Burgos) represent an European population that evolved into the Neandertals [1]. Recent geological, taphonomic and forensic studies allow us to rule out geological transport [2], carnivore activity [3]) or accidental falls [4,5] as explaining the presence of human bones in the SH site. So, the only hypothesis that cannot be rejected is the intentional accumulation of at least 28 bodies at the site by other hominins. Although we were able to rule out non-anthropic scenarios for the bones accumulation, the significant implications of funerary behavior 430,000 years ago make it necessary to understand the tempo and modo of this ancient behavior. At the SH site, the hominin bodies are not found in their original position, and the bones are generally found mixed together in the sedimentary matrix of the main chamber, making it difficult to associate different skeletal parts. Given this manner of deposition, many of the usual criteria for identifying burials are not applicable here. Nevertheless, the study of the spatial distribution of the remains can provide us with valuable information about whether the accumulation of bodies was synchronous (i.e. a single event) or whether they arrived at different times. This is very important because if the arrival of corpses to the site was asynchronous in time, this would indicate a recurrent behavior in this Middle Pleistocene population.

Systematic excavations at Sima de los Huesos site started in 1984. Each bone fragment in the collection was spatially located in the site relying on the X, Y and Z excavation coordinates (using local references during the first excavation campaigns and Total Station techniques in the more recent years). Every single fossil has been drawn in the excavation maps to a scale 1:1. This study is focused on the cranial collection, composed of more than 1,850 bone fragments. Of these, 565 cranial fragments have been fitted together to form 17 individual crania [5].

The analysis of the spatial distribution of SH crania revealed different patterns of spatial distribution: crania with dry bone fractures and scattered from the foot of the vertical shaft, slope to the bottom of the site, mixed with fractured crania in situ with-out any movement of the fragments. This indicates that when the fossil-bearing sediments carried the human remains “down slope” gravitationally, from the base of the vertical shaft to the main chamber, there were varying degrees of soft tissue decomposition in the different individuals. These data suggest that the accumulation of cadavers at the SH site was asynchronous, at least with regard to the timescale of cadaver decomposition, and thus, would indicate a recurrent funerary behavior in this Middle Pleistocene pop-ulation.

The authors wish to thank to the Atapuerca research and excavation team, especially those involved in the excavations at the Sima de los Huesos site. Field work at the Sierra de Atapuerca sites was financed by the Junta de Castilla y León and the Fundación Atapuerca. The research was funded by the MINECO project CGL2015-65387-C3-2-P (MINECO/FEDER) and Fundación Atapuerca (Grants to APP in 2015 and 2017 and Postdoctoral grant to NS in 2014).

References:[1] Arsuaga, J.L., Martínez, I., Arnold, L.J., Aranburu, A., Gracia, A., Sharp, W.D., Quam, R., Falguères, C., Pantoja, A., Bischoff, J., Poza-Rey, E., Parés, J.M., Carretero, J.M., Demuro, M., Lorenzo, C., Sala, N., Martinón-Torres, M., García, N., Alcázar de Velasco, A., Cuenca-Bescós, G., Gómez-Olivencia, A., Moreno, D., Pablos, A., Shen, C.C., Rodríguez, L., Ortega, A.I., García, R., Bonmatí, A., Bermúdez de Castro, J.M., Carbonell, E., 2014. Neandertal roots: Cranial and chronological evidence from Sima de los Huesos. Science 344, 1358-1363 [2] Aranburu, A., Arsuaga, J.L., Sala, N., 2017. The stratigraphy of the Sima de los Huesos (Atapuerca, Spain) and implications for the origin of the fossil hominin accumulation. Quaternary International 433, 5-21 [3] Sala, N., Arsuaga, J.L., Martínez, I., Gracia-Téllez, A., 2014. Carnivore activity in the Sima de los Huesos (Atapuerca, Spain) hominin sample. Quaternary Science Reviews 97, 71-83 [4] Sala, N., Arsuaga, J.L., Pantoja-Pérez, A., Pablos, A., Martínez, I., Quam, R.M., Gómez-Olivencia, A., Bermúdez de Castro, J.M., Carbonell, E., 2015. Lethal interpersonal violence in the Middle Pleistocene. PLoS ONE 10, e0126589 [5] Sala, N., Pantoja-Pérez, A., Arsuaga, J.L., Pablos, A., Martínez, I., 2016. The Sima de los Huesos crania: Analysis of the cranial breakage patterns. Journal of Archaeological Science 72, 25-43.

Poster Presentation Number 116, Fr (12:15-14:15)

Neandertal remains from Cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona)

Montserrat Sanz1,2_{, Joan Daura}3_{, Rolf Quam}2,4,7_{, Rebeca Garcí a}5_{, Laura Rodrí guez}5,6_{, María Cruz Ortega}2_{, Juan Luis} Arsuaga1,2

1 - Universidad Complutense de Madrid · 2 - Centro UCM-ISCIII de Investigación sobre la Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos · 3 - Grup de Recerca del Quaternari (GRQ) del Seminari Estudis i Recerques Prehistòriques (SERP), Universitat de Barcelona · 4 - Binghamton University · 5 - Universidad de Burgos · 6 - Universidad Isabel I · 7 - American Museum of Natural History

Cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona) is the only known site in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula, where diagnostic Neandertal human remains have been recovered from a secure and well-dated stratigraphic context. At least eight site formation episodes from the Late Pleistocene (Episodes 0-3) to the Holocene (Episodes 4-7) have been recognized in the stratigraphic sequence, alternating between continental sediment deposition and periods of marine erosion followed by the accumulation of beach deposits. The layers that yielded the Neandertal remains have been dated to between 49.4 ± 1.8 ka and 60.0 ± 3.9 ka [1]. Five Neandertal specimens (MNI = 4) have been recovered in different galleries from the Cova del Gegant site; Gegant-1 & 2 from GL1 (layer XVa), Gegant-3 from GL2 (layer V) and Gegant-4 & 5 from GP2 (layer V). Neandertal fossils were associated with Middle Paleolithic stone tools and Pleistocene faunal remains.

The mandible Gegant-1 comprises most of the mandibular corpus from the right M1 tooth socket to the mesial margin of the left M3 alveolus. No teeth are preserved with the specimen, but the distal root of the left M2 is present in its root socket. The pres-ence and development of the preserved root and root sockets indicate a minimum age at death of around 15 years [2]. The mandible has been directly dated by U-series to 52.3 ± 2.3 ka and a short fragment (52 bp) of mtDNA obtained from the mandibular bone itself groups the specimen with Neandertals. Gegant-2 is a lower left lateral permanent incisor (I2) that preserves the entire crown, but is missing approximately the apical third of the root. The degree of tooth wear suggests the tooth belongs to a second individual from the site, perhaps around 10 years old [3]. Gegant-3 is a central incisor assigned to a Neandertal specimen which has been reported previously, but remains unpublished. Gegant-4 is the distal portion of a left humerus from a juvenile estimated to be be-tween 5-7 years old at death. The specimen shows thick cortical bone. Although fragmentary, the constellation of morphological and metric features indicates Neandertal affinities. Based on spatial proximity at the site and similar ages at death, this may repre-sent the same individual as the Gegant-5 mandible [4]. Gegant-5 preserves a fragmentary mandible that preserves a portion of the right corpus with the dm2 and M1 fully erupted. In addition, the germs of the permanent canine and premolars are present within the mandibular corpus. Based on the degree of dental development, the age at death is estimated as 4.5-5.0 years. The M1 shows a continuous midtrigonid crest and the canine and premolars also show crown features which occur in high frequencies among Neandertals. The mandible shows a single mental foramen located under the dm1/dm2 interdental septum, a relatively posterior placement compared with recent humans of a similar developmental age. The mental foramen in Gegant-5 is also placed within the lower half of the mandibular corpus, as in the previously described late adolescent/adult mandible (Gegant-1).

This study is the outcome of the research project: “El Plistocè superior a la costa central catalana: paleoambients i ocupacions neandertals (2014/100639- Servei d’Arqueologia i Paleontologia)”, supported by projects 2014SGR-108, HAR2014-55131 and CGL2015-65387-C3-2-P (MINECO/FEDER). M. Sanz was supported by a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral grant (FJCI-2014-21386) and J. Daura and Joan Daura by a Ramon y Cajal (RYC-2015-17667).

References:[1] Daura, J., Sanz, M., Pike, A.W.G., Subirà , M.E., Fornós, J.J., Fullola, J.M., Julià , R., Zilhão, J., 2010. Stratigraphic context and direct dating of the Neandertal mandible from Cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona). Journal of Human Evolution. 59, 109–122 [2] Daura, J., Sanz, M., Subirà, M.E., Quam, R., Fullola, J.M., Arsuaga, J.L., 2005. A Neandertal mandible from the Cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona, Spain). Journal of Human Evolution. 49, 56–70 [3] Rodrí guez, L., Garcí a-González, R., Sanz, M., Daura, J., Quam, R., Fullola, J.M., Arsuaga, J.L., 2011. A Neanderthal Lower Incisor from Cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona, Spain). Boletí n de la Real Sociedad Española de Historia Natural. Sección geológica. 105, 25–30 [4] Quam, R., Sanz, M., Daura, J., Robson Brown, K., García-González, R., Rodrí guez, L., Dawson, H., Rodrí guez, R.F., Gómez, S., Villaescusa, L., Rubio, Á., Yagüe, A., Ortega Martí nez, M.C., Fullola, J.M., Zilhão, J., Arsuaga, J.L., 2015. The Neandertals of northeastern Iberia: New remains from the Cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona). Journal of Human Evolution. 81, 13–28

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