Date:

New evidence found of human activity 1.4 million years ago at the site of Barranco León in Orce

The research team that has carried out the last campaign found remains of stone carving along with cutting and fracturing marks on the bones of animals that lived on the margins of the great lake that dominated and conditioned life in the north of the province of Granada.

The scientists, led by professor Juan Manuel Jimenez Arenas from the University of Granada, have found nearly a thousand records in this campaign, which now must be analyzed, and have been able to establish a spatial association between lithic industry, limestone blocks and animal remains localized in the site’s SW sector.

- Advertisement -

The research team that has conducted the last excavation campaign at the site of Barranco León in Orce (Granada), led by professor Juan Manuel Jimenez Arenas from the University of Granada (UGR), has found new evidence of human activity 1.4 million years ago.

Specifically, researchers found remains related to stone carving, animal quartering and fracturing of bones from the animals that lived on the margins of the great lake that dominated and conditioned life in the north of the province of Granada.

The number of records generated during this campaign, which ended in September, is almost a thousand, “which allows us to make a quantitative approximation to the archaeo-paleontological richness of this site”, says Jimenez Arenas, who is a researcher from the department of Prehistory and Archeology at the University of Granada.

In addition, researchers have been able to establish a spatial association between lithic industry, limestone blocks and animal remains localized in the site’s SW sector, “which will undoubtedly give us a lot of information about this site, which has a chronology of 1.4 million years”.

- Advertisement -

The interdisciplinary team that has worked in the area is formed by researchers from the University of Granada, the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES, from its abbreviation in Spanish), the University of Malaga (UMA) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB).

3D reconstruction

The researchers carried out the fieldwork at this emblematic site since last August 22 until September 10, thanks to a contract awarded to the University of Granada by the Andalusian Regional Government’s Ministry of Culture.

Moreover, scientists have taken photographic images in order to three-dimensionally reconstruct the excavated area using the extracted material along with material from the surroundings.

After completing the excavation, “now we face the arduous laboratory task of determining the functionality of each of the exhumed elements, interpreting aspects related to the agent who originated that spatial association, and inferring aspects of the behavior of the rich and varied faunal assemblage of the area: mammoths, hippos, rhinos, horses, cattle, deers, saber-toothed tigers, wild dogs, wolf ancestors and, of course, humans”.

Meanwhile, washing the sediment will allow to unravel paleoclimatic aspects of great scientific interest through the remains of the smallest species from the vertebrate community. The research team’s educational work has been equally successful, being remarkable the participation of UGR students, who have joined students from the universities of Seville, Málaga and Alcalá de Henares (Madrid).

Finally, the diffusion work carried out during the campaign period stands out. Thus, the three open days brought more than a hundred people to the site of Barranco León, who were interested in watching in situ fieldwork and the stories that the ravines and slopes of the basin of Guadix tell us.

The Orce Basin Archaeological Zone, where the site of Barranco León is located, was declared of Cultural Interest in 2012, and it comprises a number of archaeological and paleontological sites which are fundamental to the understanding of early human occupation of Europe, both for the quantity and the quality of their records.

University of Granada

- Advertisement -

Stay Updated: Follow us on iOS, Android, Google News, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, TikTok, LinkedIn, and our newsletter

spot_img
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan
Mark Milligan is a multi-award-winning journalist and the Managing Editor at HeritageDaily. His background is in archaeology and computer science, having written over 8,000 articles across several online publications. Mark is a member of the Association of British Science Writers (ABSW), the World Federation of Science Journalists, and in 2023 was the recipient of the British Citizen Award for Education, the BCA Medal of Honour, and the UK Prime Minister's Points of Light Award.
spot_img
spot_img

Mobile Application

spot_img

Related Articles

Hidden Medieval tower unearthed in Lublin reveals forgotten chapter of city’s past

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a previously undocumented medieval tower within the grounds of the former Pobernardine monastery complex, near the Church of the Conversion of Saint Paul on Bernardyńska Street.

Sinkhole reveals lost remains of medieval hospital

A sinkhole that formed outside the York Theatre Royal has led to the discovery of what could be one of England’s largest medieval hospitals.

Chalcolithic cultural treasures unearthed in Caucasus

Archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences have uncovered 13 Chalcolithic-era sites, each yielding a wealth of cultural artefacts and material evidence.

Study reveals East Asia’s earliest gold-inlaid spear sheath

In 1954, a bronze spear sheath dating from Japan’s Kofun period (AD 300–538) was found beneath a rock on Okinoshima, a sacred island located off the coast of Munakata, Fukuoka.

Cache of military helmets from both World Wars discovered during roadworks

Road construction works in the Polish city of Wroclaw have unearthed an unusual cache of military objects from WWI and WWII.

Ten Roman wonders of Britain

Discover the Roman Empire’s extraordinary legacy left on Britain through this selection of ten Roman wonders.

New archaeological treasures unearthed at Finziade

Archaeologists excavating at Finziade in southern Italy have unearthed an artisan workshop and a domestic sacellum containing archaeological treasures.

Significant multi-period discoveries in Delbrück-Bentfeld

An archaeological excavation in Delbrück-Bentfeld, a town in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, has unearthed nearly 400 features of archaeological interest that span several centuries.