ARCHIVED - 130,000-year-old Neanderthal bone unearthed at dig site in Torre Pacheco
The discovery has been made at the Sima de las Palomas site in the Murcia municipality
Torre Pacheco's Sima de las Palomas archaeological site has thrown up an array of remains and fascinating finds dating from between 200,000 and 500,000 years ago and of enormous interest to paleonthropists and anthropists since excavations began in 1994.
And this summer has been no exception, with the discovery of a Neanderthal phalanx dated to between 100,000 and 130,000 years ago.
The unearthing of a Neanderthal phalanx bone, an intermediate hand or foot bone, once again demonstrates the presence of Neanderthal Man at the site during the last interglacial period.
Councillor for Culture, Raúl Lledó, and scientific coordinator of the excavations, archaeologist Mariano López, this week presented the findings of the 29th official campaign of the field school ´'Sima de las Palomas del Cabezo Gordo', which attracts international archaeologists and will conclude next Friday.
This particular site has revealed some fascinating discoveries. During previous excavations, archaeologists exposed the skeletons of two adults and a young boy, in anatomical connection and with their skulls and jaws intact. They were identified as remains from the extinct species of European fossil man called Neanderthal Man or 'Homo Neanderthalensis', which was present in this part of the southeast peninsular some 50,000 years ago.
One of the adults, a female who has been named Paloma, is the most complete Neanderthal skeleton on the entire European Mediterranean coast and has the most intact female pelvis of this human species in the world.
Image: Ayuntamiento de Torre pacheco
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