Neanderthal remains discovered in a Catalan cave

A multidisciplinary team has identified new Neanderthal remains at the Arbreda cave site (Serinyà, Gerona). Specifically, three human teeth have been found corresponding to a child, a juvenile individual and an adult individual. Two of the teeth, from level N of the cave, are at least 120,000 years old, while the third tooth, recovered from level J, is between 71,000 and 44,000 years old. Preliminary results indicate that these teeth could be attributed to individuals of the species Homo neanderthalensis.

The research has been carried out by a team led by Marina Lozano, researcher at the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES) and professor at the Rovira i Virgili University of Tarragona, which also included specialists from the Catalan Research Institute. in Cultural Heritage (ICRPC), the University of Girona, the International University of Catalonia and the University of Bordeaux, the latter institution in France.

The analysis of the set of remains has allowed us to identify a lower right decidual molar (baby tooth), a lower right permanent molar and a third upper right premolar. The morphological and morphometric characteristics of this group have allowed it to be classified as belonging to the species Homo neanderthalensis.

These data have been obtained using a high-resolution microtomography scanner to generate three-dimensional images of the three teeth found in levels J and N of the cave. This allowed reconstruction and analysis of the internal anatomy of the teeth, including the enamel-dentin junction, enamel thickness, and pulp cavity volume.

The images obtained were segmented using specialized software for precise differentiation of the different dental tissues. Electron microscopy was also applied to evaluate possible postdepositional alterations on the surface of the teeth, ensuring that the conservation of the tissues allowed a robust analysis. In addition, standard morphological measurements were used to compare the teeth found in the Arbreda cave with those from other sites, as well as three-dimensional models to quantify the distribution of enamel thickness and determine the shape and proportions of the pulp cavity.

According to Lozano, “the discovery is significant because it allows us to obtain more information about the presence of Neanderthals in the Arbreda at different times (about 120,000 years ago and between 71,000 and 44,000 years ago). The most modern rest is especially interesting since it provides information on the subsistence strategies of the last Neanderthals of the Iberian Peninsula, at a time when coexistence with anatomically modern humans is glimpsed. Research has revealed that the Neanderthals who inhabited the Arbreda cave could have alternated between short seasonal occupations and longer settlements, suggesting an adaptation to climatic and environmental changes.

General image of the Arbreda cave site. (Photo: ICRPC / CERCA)

The Reclau caves, a reference for Catalan prehistory

The Arbreda cave is one of the sites included in the archaeological complex of the caves of the Reclau area, which includes other sites such as the Pau cave, the Reclau Viver cave, the Mollet cave, the Mollet cave III and the Cau del Roure. The Serinyà sites have been fundamental in the development of prehistoric archeology in Catalonia and have a long history of interventions since the 1980s. In 2008, the sites in the Reclau area were declared a Cultural Asset of National Interest and since 1997 the Serinyà Prehistoric Caves Park has made them accessible to the entire society.

The Arbreda cave site is considered essential for studying the transition between the Middle and Upper Paleolithic in Western Europe. First excavated in 1972, the cave contains an archaeological sequence spanning from the Middle Paleolithic to the Neolithic, and includes lithic tools associated with the Mousterian culture, used by Neanderthals. Furthermore, evidence of long-term use has been found at the lower levels, showing a recurring presence of Neanderthal groups over long periods of time, while at the upper levels, shorter and more seasonal uses have been found. This contrast reflects the changes in the subsistence strategies of these groups as they approached their extinction.

Joaquim Soler, ICRPC researcher and one of the co-directors of the excavation, highlights the importance of the site: “The Arbreda cave is a fundamental place for understanding the Neanderthal presence in Catalonia and its subsequent replacement by anatomically modern humans. “These new findings confirm the importance of Neanderthal occupations in this area, which were much longer than we initially thought.”

The study is titled “Middle Pleistocene teeth from Arbreda Cave (Serinyà, northeastern Iberian Peninsula)”. And it has been published in the academic journal American Journal of Biological Anthropology. (Source: IPHES)