One of the major debates regarding human evolution and migration concerns the timing and path taken by the first hominids to reach Europe from Africa. The recent study of new geological datings place the first European hominids in the south of the Iberian Peninsula supports the theory that humans entered Europe via the southern Iberian Peninsula through the Strait of Gibraltar, rather than taking the Mediterranean route through Asia.
| Date | July 15, 2024 |
| Source | University of Barcelona |
| Summary | Recent geological dating at the Orce sites in the Baza basin, Granada, Spain, indicates that the human remains discovered there are the oldest in Europe, dating back roughly 1.3 million years. |
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Analysis of a New Sampling For New geological datings place the first European hominids in the south of the Iberian Peninsula
- The new dating was based on the paleomagnetism analysis of an area in Orce that had not been previously sampled and was protected from erosion.
- Paleomagnetism is a relative dating method that studies the inversion of the Earth’s magnetic poles due to internal dynamics.
- These inversions, recorded in minerals, help establish time periods. The long sedimentary sequence in Orce, over eighty meters long, provided precise data.
- The researchers identified a magnetic polarity sequence with five events, placing the three Orce sites with human presence between the Olduvai and Jaramillo subchrons, approximately 1.77 to 1.07 million years ago.
- A statistical age model refined the chronology of different stratigraphic levels to within a margin of error of only 70,000 years. The oldest site, Venta Micena, is dated to 1.32 million years ago, followed by Barranco León at 1.28 million years, and Fuente Nueva 3 at 1.23 million years. These dates suggest the other major site on the peninsula, Sima del Elefante in Atapuerca, is younger, dated between 0.2 and 0.4 million years.
Evidences For New geological datings place the first European hominids in the south of the Iberian Peninsula
| Fauna Supports the Antiquity of the Site | Evidence for Passage Through Gibraltar | Diachronism Between Asian and European Occupation | Human Remains in Orce |
| The study also analyzed the fauna from the Orce sites, comparing it with other Early Pleistocene European sites. Conclusion: The results indicated that Orce’s fauna is more primitive than that of Sima del Elefante, suggesting Orce’s greater antiquity. Additionally, the absence of certain Asian immigrant ancestors of pigs in Orce, found in Sima del Elefante, further supports Orce’s older age. | This new dating supports the hypothesis that humans colonized Europe via the Strait of Gibraltar. Conclusion: Similarities between the lithic industries found in Orce and those in northern Africa, along with the presence of African fauna such as Hippopotamus and Theropithecus oswaldi in southern Spain, provide further evidence for this route. | The researchers noted a “diachronism” between the oldest Asian occupation (1.8 million years ago) and the oldest European occupation (1.3 million years ago). Conclusion: This suggests that African hominids arrived in southwestern Europe more than 0.5 million years after their initial migration out of Africa around 2 million years ago. | Excavations since 1982 it has uncovered five human remains at the Orce sites, including fragments of humerus and cranial bones, as well as two human molar teeth and numerous Olduvayan lithic tools. Conclusion: The discovery of cut marks on bones further solidified the evidence of Early Pleistocene hominids in Orce. |
FAQ:
1. Where did the first humans originate?
The first humans, or early hominids, originated in Africa. This continent is considered the “cradle of humanity” because it is where the earliest human ancestors, such as Australopithecus and Homo habilis, lived and evolved.
2. When did humans first arrive in Europe?
Recent geological dating indicates that the first humans arrived in Europe approximately 1.3 million years ago. This evidence comes from the Orce sites in the Baza basin, Granada, Spain, which show that early hominids entered Europe through the southern Iberian Peninsula via the Strait of Gibraltar.