Sexual dimorphism of the enamel and dentine dimensions of the permanent canines of the Middle Pleistocene hominins from Sima de los Huesos (Burgos, Spain)

The origin of Neanderthal and modern human lineages is a matter of intense debate. DNA analyses have generally indicated that both lineages diverged during the middle period of the Middle Pleistocene, an inferred time that has strongly influenced interpretations of the hominin fossil record. This divergence time, however, is not compatible with the anatomical and genetic Neanderthal affinities observed in Middle Pleistocene hominins from Sima de los Huesos (Spain), which are dated to 430 thousand years (ka) ago. Drawing on quantitative analyses of dental evolutionary rates and Bayesian analyses of hominin phylogenetic relationships, I show that any divergence time between Neanderthals and modern humans younger than 800 ka ago would have entailed unexpectedly rapid dental evolution in early Neanderthals from Sima de los Huesos. These results support a pre–800 ka last common ancestor for Neanderthals and modern humans unless hitherto unexplained mechanisms sped up dental evolution in early Neanderthals.

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Human hyoid bones from the middle Pleistocene site of the Sima de los Huesos (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain)

Journal of Human Evolution ◽

10.1016/j.jhevol.2007.07.006 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 54 (1) ◽

pp. 118-124 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

I. Martínez ◽

J.L. Arsuaga ◽

R. Quam ◽

J.M. Carretero ◽

A. Gracia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Middle Pleistocene ◽

Sima De Los Huesos

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The temporal bones from Sima de los Huesos Middle Pleistocene site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain). A phylogenetic approach

Journal of Human Evolution ◽

10.1006/jhev.1997.0155 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 33 (2-3) ◽

pp. 283-318 ◽

Cited By ~ 95

Author(s):

I. Martı́nez ◽

J.L. Arsuaga

Keyword(s):

Middle Pleistocene ◽

Sima De Los Huesos ◽

Temporal Bones

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New Middle Pleistocene hominin cranium from Gruta da Aroeira (Portugal)

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1619040114 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 114 (13) ◽

pp. 3397-3402 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Joan Daura ◽

Montserrat Sanz ◽

Juan Luis Arsuaga ◽

Dirk L. Hoffmann ◽

Rolf M. Quam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Homo Erectus ◽

Middle Pleistocene ◽

Homo Heidelbergensis ◽

Incipient Stage ◽

Sima De Los Huesos ◽

Time Period ◽

Nasal Floor ◽

Fossil Hominins ◽

The Right ◽

Important Evidence

The Middle Pleistocene is a crucial time period for studying human evolution in Europe, because it marks the appearance of both fossil hominins ancestral to the later Neandertals and the Acheulean technology. Nevertheless, European sites containing well-dated human remains associated with an Acheulean toolkit remain scarce. The earliest European hominin crania associated with Acheulean handaxes are at the sites of Arago, Atapuerca Sima de los Huesos (SH), and Swanscombe, dating to 400–500 ka (Marine Isotope Stage 11–12). The Atapuerca (SH) fossils and the Swanscombe cranium belong to the Neandertal clade, whereas the Arago hominins have been attributed to an incipient stage of Neandertal evolution, toHomo heidelbergensis, or to a subspecies ofHomo erectus. A recently discovered cranium (Aroeira 3) from the Gruta da Aroeira (Almonda karst system, Portugal) dating to 390–436 ka provides important evidence on the earliest European Acheulean-bearing hominins. This cranium is represented by most of the right half of a calvarium (with the exception of the missing occipital bone) and a fragmentary right maxilla preserving part of the nasal floor and two fragmentary molars. The combination of traits in the Aroeira 3 cranium augments the previously documented diversity in the European Middle Pleistocene fossil record.

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