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The Gran Dolina-TD6 Human Fossil Remains and the Origin of Neanderthals

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Continuity and Discontinuity in the Peopling of Europe

Part of the book series: Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology ((VERT))

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Abstract

We present a revision of the main features withphylogenetic interest observed in the human fossil remains recovered from the Aurora Stratum of the TD6 level, Gran Dolina site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain) that have been assigned to Homo antecessor. Our aim is to test the hypothesis of a possible relationship between this species and the European Middle and early Late Pleistocene hominins, the so-called Neanderthal lineage. Some cranial, postcranial, and dental features are plesiomorphic for the genus Homo and thus, they are not useful for our purpose. Other morphologies are derived with regard to H. ergaster/H. erectus, and TD6 hominins share those traits with modern humans, with Neanderthals or with both lineages. In this context we hypothesize either that there exists a phylogenetic continuity between Homo antecessor and Neanderthals or that both species shared a common ancestor.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the Gran Dolina field team, and in particular Eudald Carbonell, their dedication and effort made during the excavation of the TD6 level. This research was supported by funding from the Dirección General de Investigación of the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (MEC), Project Nº CGL2006-13532-C03/BTE, and the Cátedra Atapuerca from the Fundación Atapuerca and Fundación Duques de Soria. Fieldwork at Atapuerca is supported by the Consejería de Cultura y Turismo of the Junta de Castilla y León. Aida Gómez-Robles has the benefit of a predoctoral FPU grant of the Spanish MEC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Burgos, Spain

    José María Bermúdez de Castro, María Martinón-Torres, Aida Gómez-Robles, Ann Margvelashvili & Susana Sarmiento

  2. Departamento de Paleontología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid- Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

    Juan Luis Arsuaga

  3. Universidad de Burgos, Edificio I + D, Burgos, Spain

    José Miguel Carretero

  4. Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

    Ignacio Martinez

Authors
  1. José María Bermúdez de Castro
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  2. María Martinón-Torres
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  3. Aida Gómez-Robles
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  4. Ann Margvelashvili
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  5. Juan Luis Arsuaga
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  6. José Miguel Carretero
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  7. Ignacio Martinez
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  8. Susana Sarmiento
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to José María Bermúdez de Castro or María Martinón-Torres .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , EFS, Laboratoire d'Anthropologie biocult, Université de la Méditerranée, Bd Pierre Dramard, Marseille Cedex 15, 13344, France

    Silvana Condemi

  2. Stiftung Neanderthal Museum, Talstraße 300, Mettmann, 40822, Germany

    Gerd-Christian Weniger

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de Castro, J.M.B. et al. (2011). The Gran Dolina-TD6 Human Fossil Remains and the Origin of Neanderthals. In: Condemi, S., Weniger, GC. (eds) Continuity and Discontinuity in the Peopling of Europe. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0492-3_6

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