Homo antecessor

Homo antecessor is the name given to discovered human remainders with Atapuerca in Spain. It would be about a extinct Espèce of the kind Homo having lived in southernmost Europe between 1,2 and 0,7 million years before the present.

Discovered

The species was defined starting from 86 osseous fragments corresponding at least to six individuals, discovered in 1994 and 1995 in layer TD6 of Gran Dolina to Atapuerca (Spain), by a team directed by E. Carbonell, J.L. Arsuaga and J.M. Bermudez of Castro. The Paléomagnétisme indicates that the age of this layer is higher than: 780000 years. The standard fossil is composed of the jawbone and the frontal of an individual of 10-11 years.

Doubts

The validity of the species was called in question by certain researchers, of the fact precisely that the standard individual was youthful. Indeed, the specific features are often shown at the young individuals and the remainders allotted to Homo antecessor could concern another already known species. Part of the scientific community regards Homo antecessor only as one simple denomination of the discovered fossils with Atapuerca, which could even belong to Homo heidelbergensis with a form of Homo erectus .

Phylogeny

According to its discoverers, Homo antecessor is probably downward a d' Homo ergaster and could evolve to Homo heidelbergensis , itself direct ancestor of the Homme of Néandertal.

Physical characteristics

The Homo antecessor had a cranial capacity of approximately 1100 cm ³ (1100 to 1700 cm ³ for Homo sapiens ). This value remains to be confirmed because of the reduced number of the found cranial remainders. The methods of development and eruption of the teeth is practically identical to that of the modern populations. Facial morphology is also identical to that of Homo sapiens, with a coronary orientation and a light backward tilt of the plate infraorbitale which determines the presence of a very marked canine pit. The lower edge of this plate horizontal and is slightly folded. The morphology of the jaw points out that of certain Hominides of average Pleistocene, of the species Homo heidelbergensis , like those of Sima of los Huesos d' Atapuerca.

The skeleton postcrânien indicates a certain slenderness ratio, in comparison with the greatest robustness of the Homme of Néandertal of second half of Average Pleistocene. The found fossils show that the intermediate size of the Homo antecessor was comparable with that of the current Homo sapiens . Its hips were on the other hand broader and its nose less projecting than ours.

Material culture

The remainders of Homo antecessor were associated with a to the abundant pointing out Oldowayen and qualified lithic Industrie “Mode 1” (industry with cut rollers), like Homo erectus . It should be noted that the Acheuléen or “Mode 2” (Double-side industry with S) existed already at the African populations since several hundreds of thousands of years. Homo antecessor probably knew the use of the Feu, inherited its ancestor Homo ergaster .

Anthropophagy

Homo antecessor probably practiced the Anthropophagie. Several of the found fragments of skeleton presented lithic traces of tools, showing clearly that the late ones had been cut up.

References

Cervera, Jose; Arsuaga, J.L there Trueba, J. 1998: Atapuerca. A millón of años of historia . Ediciones STUD, S.A. Madrid.

Bermúdez of Castro Risueño, Jose Mª. ; Arsuaga, J.L.; Carbonell, E.; Rosas, A.; Martínez, I. there Mosquera, Mr. 1997: “Has Hominid from the Lower Pleistocene off Atapuerca, Spain: Possible Ancestor to Neandertals and Modern Humans”. Science 276:1392 - 1395.

External bonds

Homo antecessor {be}

the inhabitants of Atapuerca {be}

Conference in French line, audio (.rm) by Eudald Carbonell I Roura, Professor at the University of Tarragone

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