{"id":116111,"date":"2023-09-19T14:13:19","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T12:13:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diaridigital.urv.cat\/?p=116111"},"modified":"2024-07-02T11:50:34","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T09:50:34","slug":"neanderthal-remains-more-than-50000-years-old-identified-in-the-simanya-cave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diaridigital.urv.cat\/en\/neanderthal-remains-more-than-50000-years-old-identified-in-the-simanya-cave\/","title":{"rendered":"Neanderthal remains more than 50,000 years old identified in the Simanya cave"},"content":{"rendered":"

The site <\/span>at the <\/span>Simanya<\/span> cave<\/span>, in the Natural Park of Sant <\/span>Lloren\u00e7<\/span> del Munt <\/span>i<\/span> de <\/span>l’Obac<\/span>, has <\/span>witnessed<\/span> the most important discovery of Neanderthal <\/span>remains<\/span> in Catalonia and one of the most important in the Iberian Peninsula<\/span>:<\/span> 54 Neanderthal <\/span>artefacts<\/span>,<\/span> more than 50,000 years old<\/span>, <\/span>from<\/span> at least three individuals<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The scientific results <\/span>were<\/span> presented <\/span>last<\/span> Tuesday at noon and, <\/span>at the same time<\/span>, published in the prestigious international scientific journal <\/span><\/span>Frontiers in Earth Science<\/span><\/span> in<\/span> the article “New assemblage of late Neanderthal remains from Cova <\/span>Simanya<\/span> (NE Iberia)”<\/span>. The leading researchers were<\/span> Juan Ignacio Morales, from the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (<\/span>IPHES-B\u00daSQUEDA<\/span>); Artur <\/span>Cebri\u00e0<\/span>, from the Seminar for Prehistoric Studies and Research at the University of Barcelona (SERP-UB), and Antonio Rosas, from the National Museum of Natural Sciences-Spanish National Research Council (MNCN-CSIC). <\/span>Also taking part were o<\/span>ther researchers from these three institutions, <\/span>and<\/span> the <\/span>Universitat<\/span> Rovira<\/span> i<\/span> Virgili, the Autonomous University of Madrid, the University of Santiago de Compostela, the University of Alicante, the Institute of Evolutionary Biology of the <\/span>Pompeu<\/span> Fabra<\/span> University-CSIC, the Catalan Institute of Palaeontology, the Institute for Advanced Study (MIAS), the University of Bologna and the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona. The presentation ceremony was attended by those responsible for the research, who presented the remains found and contextualised the site, and by representatives of the institutions involved, the Department of Culture of the Catalan Government, the Barcelona Provincial <\/span>Council<\/span> and the Archaeology Museum of Catalonia.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The<\/span> Simanya<\/span> cave<\/span>, a unique enclave for <\/span>understanding<\/span> the <\/span>Neanderthals<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The<\/span> Simanya<\/span> cave<\/span>, <\/span>located<\/span> in Sant <\/span>Lloren\u00e7<\/span> Savall<\/span>, in the heart of the Sant <\/span>Lloren\u00e7<\/span> del Munt <\/span>i<\/span> de <\/span>l’Obac<\/span> Natural Park, has more than 300 metres of caves and, due to its accessibility, has been one of the most visited caves in Catalonia. “One of the objectives of the Sant <\/span>Lloren\u00e7<\/span> del Munt <\/span>i<\/span> de <\/span>l’Obac<\/span> Natural Park is to <\/span>put<\/span> visitors <\/span>in touch with<\/span> the natural and geological environment and, at the same time, to <\/span>provide<\/span> a space for research,” says the park’s director, <\/span>\u00c0ngel<\/span> Mi\u00f1o<\/span>. “The geomorphology of the park, with <\/span>its <\/span>peaks<\/span>, ravines, walls, chasms and caves, is one of the unique features of <\/span>the area. <\/span>The <\/span>Simanya<\/span> is o<\/span>ne of the best-known caves in the Sant <\/span>Lloren\u00e7<\/span> massif, <\/span>and<\/span> guided tours<\/span> for visitors are<\/span> organised by the Barcelona<\/span> Provincial Council<\/span>,” explains <\/span>Mi\u00f1o<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Cova <\/span>Simanya<\/span>, in the Sant <\/span>Lloren\u00e7<\/span> del Munt <\/span>i<\/span> Serra de <\/span>l’Obac<\/span> Natural Park<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The study of a collection of materials <\/span>discovered <\/span>in<\/span> 1978-79<\/span> and <\/span>deposited <\/span>at<\/span> the Archaeology Museum of Catalonia, alerted researchers to the presence of Neanderthal <\/span>remains<\/span> in <\/span>the<\/span> Simanya<\/span> cave<\/span>. This encouraged researchers to <\/span>initiate<\/span> a research project in 2020 with the main <\/span>objectives<\/span> of studying the human fossil <\/span>remains<\/span> and their <\/span>archaeopalaeontological<\/span> context. At the same time, recent excavations have reconstruct<\/span>ed<\/span> the origin and history of the Neanderthal <\/span>remains, <\/span>and<\/span> recover<\/span>ed others<\/span>. Likewise, the stone tools recovered, the animal bones processed by the Neanderthals and the bonfires documented suggest that <\/span>the<\/span> Simanya<\/span> cave<\/span> was a significant enclave for the Middle Palaeolithic populations.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The remains <\/span>are from<\/span> three individuals: an adult, <\/span>probably a<\/span> woman; a <\/span>young person<\/span> of about 11 or 12 years of age; and <\/span>a child<\/span> of about 7-8 years of age. “Of <\/span>all of them<\/span>, the adult individual stands out<\/span>.<\/span> T<\/span>he<\/span> remains of both arms <\/span>hav<\/span>e<\/span> been<\/span> identified<\/span>, including a whole humerus<\/span>,<\/span> a <\/span>practically complete<\/span> hand<\/span>,<\/span> the feet, <\/span>vertebrae<\/span> and ribs,” says Antonio Rosas, director of the <\/span>Paleoanthropology<\/span> Group of the MNCN-CSIC. Up to ten <\/span>teeth<\/span> and a jaw fragment have also been <\/span>identified<\/span>. Two of the teeth belong to the <\/span>young<\/span> individual and the remaining eight may be <\/span>from<\/span> the adult, although “we cannot rule the possibility that they belong to <\/span>other<\/span> individuals,” he adds.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>findings<\/span> ha<\/span>ve<\/span> unequivocal anatomical features that allow <\/span>them<\/span> to be clearly ascribed to Neanderthals. The<\/span>y<\/span> not only help to differentiate the individuals from other species of the genus Homo, but also <\/span>shed light on<\/span> the <\/span>phylogeography<\/span> of the Neanderthals who populated Europe before the arrival of our species<\/span>, the<\/span> Homo sapiens. According to Rosas, “the fossils from the <\/span>Cova<\/span> Simanya<\/span> will help to clarify the role played by the Iberian Peninsula in the complex evolutionary history of the Neanderthals”. <\/span>In this regard<\/span>, the researcher and one of the <\/span>leading<\/span> international experts on Neanderthals today <\/span>explains<\/span> that this extinct species <\/span>has several<\/span> lineages <\/span>but, <\/span>at the moment<\/span>, the reasons for how and where they originated are still unknown. “Iberia and <\/span>the<\/span> Simanya<\/span> cave<\/span> will <\/span>have a lot to say in this <\/span>respect<\/span>,” he predicts.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Some of the Neanderthal <\/span>remains<\/span> found in <\/span>the<\/span> Simanya<\/span> cave<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“The first <\/span>dat<\/span>ings<\/span> indicate that the <\/span>Neanderthals <\/span>were <\/span>presen<\/span>t <\/span>in<\/span> the <\/span>Simanya<\/span> cave<\/span> before<\/span> than the Carbon 14 limit, <\/span>i.e.<\/span> more than<\/span> 50,000 years ago,” says Juan Ignacio Morales, co-director of the excavations and researcher at IPHES-B\u00daSQUEDA and SERP-UB. “Alternative dating techniques are currently being developed that should allow us to determine the age of the remains with greater precision,” says the researcher.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

F<\/span>ieldwork has shown that <\/span>the cave was not only occupied by<\/span> the Neanderthals<\/span> but<\/span> also served as a <\/span>refuge<\/span> for <\/span>hibernation for both the brown bear and the cave bear until at <\/span>least 42,000 years ago. <\/span>A<\/span>ccording to Morales<\/span>,<\/span> m<\/span>uch later the cave was used sporadically from <\/span>the <\/span>Neolithic until much more recent times.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Central Catalonia, a key territory for the Neanderthals<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The proximity of <\/span>the <\/span>Simanya<\/span> cave<\/span> to other Middle Palaeolithic archaeological sites such as the Cuevas del Charco (<\/span>Moi\u00e0<\/span>), <\/span>Abric<\/span> Romero (<\/span>Capellades<\/span>) and the Cueva Grande de <\/span>Collbat\u00f3<\/span>, clearly shows that Central Catalonia was a key territory for the activities and settlements of the Neanderthals during the Upper Pleistocene.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the <\/span>forthcoming<\/span> excavation campaigns, the research team plans to continue with the work in the <\/span>Simanya<\/span> karst complex, including the <\/span>C<\/span>ue<\/span>va<\/span> del <\/span>Tri\u00e1ngulo<\/span> and the Cueva de la Canal, just 50 metres away, with the aim of gaining <\/span>greater insight into<\/span> the prehistoric settlement in this key area.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From an institutional point of view, these results are the product of the synergies and coordinat<\/span>ion of<\/span> the <\/span>Archaeological and Palaeontological Heritage Service <\/span>of the <\/span>Department of Culture of the Catalan Government, and <\/span>the San <\/span>Lloren\u00e7<\/span> del Munt <\/span>i<\/span> de <\/span>l’Obac<\/span> Natural Park<\/span> of<\/span> the Archaeological Museum of Catalonia and the Barcelona Provincial Council.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Some of the researchers who have made the <\/span>discoveries<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tour of<\/span> the remains at the MAC and guided tours of the <\/span>Simanya<\/span> cave<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The remains will be on display at the Museum of Archaeology of Catalonia for a month. They will then <\/span>be <\/span>return<\/span>ed<\/span> to the research team until the research is completed, at which point they will be returned to the MAC.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The San <\/span>Lloren\u00e7<\/span> del Munt <\/span>i<\/span> de <\/span>l’Obac<\/span> Natural Park of the Barcelona <\/span>Provincial Council <\/span>organises guided <\/span>tours<\/span> of<\/span> the <\/span>Simanya<\/span> cave<\/span> every Saturday, <\/span>on <\/span>public holidays and the last Sunday of each month. The <\/span>tours<\/span> are open to the <\/span>general public<\/span> and <\/span>those<\/span> interested need to register beforehand<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The archaeological research at <\/span>the<\/span> Simanya<\/span> cave <\/span>is part of the four-year project ARQ001SOL-172-2022 “Cultural transitions during the Pleistocene and Holocene <\/span>in<\/span> the coast<\/span>al and <\/span>pre-coast<\/span>al area<\/span> of Catalonia”, linked to the Seminar of Prehistoric Studies and Research of the UB, and approved by the Department <\/span>of <\/span>Culture <\/span>of the Catalan Government; the project PID2021-122356NB-I00 of the National Museum of Natural Sciences-CSIC; and the <\/span>Palarq<\/span> Foundation. <\/span>It has also been<\/span> support<\/span>ed<\/span> by<\/span> two SERP projects, the Ministry project PID2020-113960 and the Quality Research Group SGR-00337 of the Catalan Government. The excavations are <\/span>also funded<\/span> by the San <\/span>Lloren\u00e7<\/span> del Munt <\/span>i<\/span> de <\/span>l’Obac<\/span> Natural Park and the Barcelona<\/span> Provincial Council<\/span>, which have protected the site and organised guided tours.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reference of the scientific article<\/span><\/span>:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Morales, J. I., A. Cebri\u00e0 , M. Soto, A. Rodr\u00edguez-Hidalgo, R. Hernando, E. Moreno-Ribas, D. Lombao, J. R. Rabu\u00f1al, D. M. Mart\u00edn-Perea, A. Garc\u00eda-Tabernero, E. Allu\u00e9, A. Garc\u00eda-Basanta, E. Lizano, T. Marqu\u00e8s-Bonet, S. Talamo, L. Tassoni, C. Lalueza-Fox, J. M. Fullola and A. Rosas (2023). “A new assemblage of late Neanderthal remains from Cova Simanya (NE Iberia).” Frontiers in Earth Science<\/u> 11<\/strong>: 1230707.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/feart.2023.1230707<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Consisting of 54 pieces from at least three individuals, this is the most important Neanderthal collection in Catalonia and one of the most important in the Iberian Peninsula<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":113994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[806,3472,789,82,235],"tags":[4933],"class_list":["post-116111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communicating-science","category-history","category-faculty-arts","category-general-en","category-society-culture","tag-iphes"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diaridigital.urv.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diaridigital.urv.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diaridigital.urv.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diaridigital.urv.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diaridigital.urv.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116111"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/diaridigital.urv.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116111\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diaridigital.urv.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diaridigital.urv.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diaridigital.urv.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diaridigital.urv.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}