Remains of a 60,000-year-old Neanderthal skull found

The Municipality of Capellades, Spain, announced the discovery of human remains recovered in the archaeological site of Abric Romaní.

These are the partial remains of a 60,000-year-old Neanderthal skull. The researchers claimed that Neanderthal human remains had never been found before.

At the same time the specialists assured that the discovery will put the Abric Romaní on the podium of the most important archaeological sites in the world to know the social and cultural behavior of these human relatives.

Archaeologist Eudald Carbonell explained that a series of bone remains covered with concrete were recovered. After cleaning and analyzing them by various specialists, it was determined that these remains corresponded to a partial Neanderthal skull. specificallyo the discovered skull fragment preserves part of the parietal, temporal and zygomatic bones.

Over the days, geological samples have been and will continue to be taken from the homes associated with the remains and that will be processed later in the laboratories of the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES for its acronym in Catalan).

The analysis of the pieces recovered from the lithic industry and the faunal remains associated with these human remains will be very important.

These works will be carried out in the hands of researchers from IPHES-BÚSQUEDA. The determination of the fossil species of vertebrates obtaineds at this level will provide researchers with a very accurate picture of the climatic conditions and the ecosystem in which they lived these Neanderthal communities in Catalonia.

The City Council reported that for more than 40 years, Eudald Carbonell and his team have uncovered an exceptional, unique deposit.

Throughout these years, the team of specialists has excavated an area of ​​300 square meters with multiple layers and archaeological levels, reaching a depth of up to 10 meters.

In all these archaeological levels, the specialists explain, thousands of animal remains and stone tools have been recovered, as well as hundreds of fireplaces and wooden negatives in an exceptional state of preservation. This diversity, singularity and excellent conservation of the remains distributed throughout the area of ​​the site mean that the Abric Romaní is considered one of the most important sites in the world for understanding Neanderthal behaviour.