Tooth found in Cave of Orce named earliest human remain

PUBLISHED: March 9, 2013 at 12:47 pm  •  LAST EDITED: March 12, 2013 at 9:33 am
Andalucia, Granada, Lead2  •  0 Comments

A MILK tooth discovered in Granada has been declared the earliest known human remain ever found in Western Europe.

The infants tooth was unearthed in the Cave of Orce and is believed to be 1.4 million years old.

Archaeologists believe the tooth came from a Homo erectus or Homo habilis which correlates with another discovery in the cave.

In 1983, Catalan archaeologist Josep Gibert visited the cave and found a skull fragment belonging to what he dubbed the Orce Man.

Although Gibert’s 1.3 million dating was strongly contested at the time, some scientists believe the new discovery could be a direct ancestor of the Orce Man.

The late Gibert’s son, Luis, now hopes to visit the cave himself if he can obtain a license to dig in the area.

Reader Comments »

Messages will be moderated or deleted if they:
• Are considered likely to disrupt, provoke, attack or offend others
• Are racist, sexist, homophobic, sexually explicit, abusive or otherwise objectionable
• Contain swear words or other language likely to offend
• Break the law or condone or encourage unlawful activity. This includes breach of copyright, defamation and contempt of court
• Advertise products or services for profit or gain
• Are seen to impersonate someone else
• Include contact details such as phone numbers, postal or email addresses
• Describe or encourage activities which could endanger the safety or well-being of others