Unveiling "Pink": The 1.4 million-year-old Face of Western Europe's Ancient Human History
Introducing 'Pink', the oldest known persona in Western Europe. - Western Europe's Longest-Standing Facial Impression Identified
Written by Manuel OpitzRead Time: Approx. 2 Mins
Deciphering the enigma of early humanity in Europe has been a burning question for decades. Who were the first inhabitants? Which species did they belong to? And how did they migrate across the continent? The debate rages on!
The earliest evidences of the Homo clan in Eurasia date back to the 1.8 million-year-old fossils from Dmanisi, Georgia. In Spain, a jawbone dating between 1.1 and 1.2 million years old was discovered in 2007. Now, researchers have unearthed a facial bone in the Elephant Pit (Sima del Elefante) in northern Spain, estimated to be up to 1.4 million years old. Dubbed "Pink," this fossil is the oldest facial remnant of Western Europe, challenging our understanding of our ancient human family tree.
Classifying "Pink": A New Hominin Lineage?
The miniature fragment - an adult's left cheek, cheekbone, and upper jaw - poses a conundrum in the existing hominin fossil record. "Its characteristics deviate significantly from those of the earlier Dmanisi hominins, especially in the nasal region, and from those of Homo antecessor," state the researchers led by Dr. Rosa Huguet in the journal "Nature." The moniker "Pink" was derived from Rosa Huguet herself.
The expansive, prominently protruding midface points to a non-Homo antecessor origin. At the same time, it differs from the older Homo erectus, with a modern canine fossette in the upper jaw and a overall narrower face. As a result, the researchers classify "Pink" as Homo aff. erectus, where "affinis" means related or neighboring. Dr. Huguet’s team assigns ATE7-1 to a previously unknown lineage that shares close resemblance with Homo erectus but is not identical.
In essence, "Pink" demonstrates that two distinct human species, Homo aff. erectus and Homo antecessor, coexisted in the same region for a few hundred thousand years. "Various scenarios could potentially explain the succession, including the possibility of an overlap between a residual Homo aff. erectus population and the arrival of Homo antecessor," explain the researchers. Alternatively, "Pink"'s lineage might have vanished entirely before Homo antecessor's arrival, possibly due to unfavorable climate and environmental conditions."
The research team is now hopeful for further fossil discoveries to illuminate the settlement chronicles of Western Europe and the familial interconnections among early human species.
GEO
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- Fossil Discovery
- Prehistoric Human Remains
- Archaeology
- Ancestral Lineage
- European Prehistory
- The community policy of GEO, a partner brand of the stern, may allow access to more content related to the discovery of the 1.4 million-year-old facial bone, named "Pink," in Spain, which represents the oldest facial remains of Western Europe's ancient human history.
- Employment policies in various archaeological organizations might be reevaluated in light of new findings, such as the identification of a previously unknown hominin lineage, to which "Pink" belongs, that coexisted with an earlier human species called Homo antecessor in Spain during the Pleistocene epoch.
- In the ongoing exploration of European prehistory, employment policies in geological survey departments and museums might also be impacted by the revelation that fossils like "Pink" can provide valuable insights into the earliest stages of human evolution, challenging our understanding of the earliest inhabitants of Eurasia and their potential migrations.
