Fossil human remains from Bolomor Cave (Valencia, Spain)

• Published in: Journal of human evolution Vol. 62; no. 5; pp. 629 - 639
• Main Authors: Arsuaga, Juan Luis, Fernández Peris, Josep, Gracia-Téllez, Ana, Quam, Rolf, Carretero, José Miguel, Barciela González, Virginia, Blasco, Ruth, Cuartero, Felipe, Sañudo, Pablo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-05-2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Bolomor Cave; Bone and Bones - anatomy & histology; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; Excavations; Fossils; Hominidae - anatomy & histology; Human remains; Iberian Peninsula; Marine and continental quaternary; Morphology; Neanderthal; Neanderthals; Neanderthals - anatomy & histology; Paleontology; Parietal bone; Pleistocene; Skull - anatomy & histology; Spain; Surficial geology; Teeth; Vertebrate paleontology; Iberian Peninsula; Southern Europe; Valencia Spain; Europe; Spain; Neanderthal; Bolomor Cave; Iberian Peninsula; Parietal bone; Teeth; Pleistocene; Chordata; Quaternary; caves; Homo; Eutheria; upper Pleistocene; Vertebrata; Homo Neanderthalensis; Mammalia; middle Pleistocene; bones; Primates; Theria; teeth; Cenozoic; Phanerozoic; biostratigraphy; Hominidae; Tetrapoda
• ISSN: 0047-2484; 1095-8606
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.02.002

Systematic excavations carried out since 1989 at Bolomor Cave have led to the recovery of four Pleistocene human fossil remains, consisting of a fibular fragment, two isolated teeth, and a nearly complete adult parietal bone. All of these specimens date to the late Middle and early Late Pleistocene (MIS 7-5e). The fibular fragment shows thick cortical bone, an archaic feature found in non-modern (i.e. non-Homo sapiens) members of the genus Homo. Among the dental remains, the lack of a midtrigonid crest in the M1 represents a departure from the morphology reported for the majority of Neandertal specimens, while the large dimensions and pronounced shoveling of the marginal ridges in the C1 are similar to other European Middle and late Pleistocene fossils. The parietal bone is very thick, with dimensions that generally fall above Neandertal fossils and resemble more closely the Middle Pleistocene Atapuerca (SH) adult specimens. Based on the presence of archaic features, all the fossils from Bolomor are attributed to the Neandertal evolutionary lineage.