Oldest European human fossil possibly found in Spain

Archaeologists in Spain said they had found an ancient jawbone that could help them look into the face of some of the earliest human ancestors in Europe.

Human fossil helps unlock the mystery of European ancestors

A team of archeologists in Spain found an ancient jawbone that could help them look into the face of some of the earliest human ancestors in Europe. The rare find could be as old as 1.4 million years old. Additionally, according to the team from the Atapuerca Foundation, it can give clues to the evolution of the human face over the millennia.

“The first week of July 2022 will enter the history of human evolution,” stated the team of researchers.

“What we can say is that we have found a fossil that’s very important and interesting that belongs to one of the first populations that arrived in Europe, maybe later we will find older ones, but at this moment it is a sample of a representative of one of the oldest populations that colonized the European continent,” stated José María Bermúdez de Castro. Maria is one of the coordinators for the team.

More on the ancient find

Fossilized fragments of the human upper jaw and cheekbone fossils were found near caves in Northern Spain’s Atapuerca mountains. Additionally, the mountains are a part of the Burgos province, the site of several other ancient remains. The scientists said they were still working on identifying the specific kind of human ancestor and determining the bone’s age.

“We have to continue our research for about at least a year, it’s a long time, and this is logical because this takes lots of time, and we will be able to tell whether we are before a representative of Homo antecessor, or Homo erectus, or something else that we do not know,” added Maria.