Six hand bones from Abauntz cave in Navarre identified as an adult Neanderthal male of about 46,000 years ago
Six bones of a right hand from Abauntz cave are the first remains in Navarre directly identified as Neanderthal; the study had not yet been published in a journal.
Six bones of a right hand from the Abauntz cave in Arraitz-Orkin, in the Ultzama valley (Navarre), have been attributed to an adult male Neanderthal who lived about 46,000 years ago, according to larazon.es. larazon.es
larazon.eslarazon.esOpen source ↗ The research team says these are the first human remains in the region identified directly as Neanderthal. The finding was presented publicly in October.
What was found and how it was dated
The set includes three metacarpals, an intermediate phalanx and two fragments whose human origin was established through proteins. Radiocarbon dating and DNA provide different, complementary information: the first places the remains in time, the second confirms, among other things, the sex of the individual. The bones came from earlier excavation campaigns and required analysis to establish their identity and chronology. Combining techniques matters when pieces are few or fragmentary.
The research is led by Andion Arteaga and Mikel Arlegi and involves specialists from several institutions. According to information published by SINC, the study was still awaiting scientific publication when the discovery was announced. The method and conclusions therefore cannot yet be examined in full in a journal.
Ancient DNA, bone marks and site context
According to IPHES-CERCA, the material preserves ancient DNA of particular interest. larazon.es
larazon.eslarazon.esOpen source ↗ This opens the way to studying relationships between populations, but those relationships remain to be studied, and the team has not yet described specific contacts. Some of the bones show marks attributed to carnivores after death. The marks do not explain how the individual died and do not show that an animal killed him; they inform on what happened to the remains and on the processes that affected the deposit.
Tools and faunal remains linked to human activity have also been recovered at the site, and the occupation is studied as a whole. The location of Abauntz near the Pyrenees makes it of interest for studying movements between the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of Europe. It does not by itself identify the route followed by this man.
The date places the individual at a late stage of Neanderthal history, several millennia before the species disappeared. It does not make him the last Neanderthal of Navarre and does not date the disappearance. The find provides a documented presence, with human remains that can be studied directly.
