This is a presentation of the most recent discoveries about prehistory in spain

1. In the Iberian
Peninsula
MOST RECENT
DISCOVERIES ABOUT
PREHISTORY
Mónica Palasanu 2º bach

2. TOLEDO
◼Archaeologists Juan Manuel Rojas and Alejandro Vicente found a
vessel, which was buried at 25 cm depth in a excavation in Toledo . It
was found standing.
◼The vessel is big, its size is 75 cm high and 1.5 cm thick and it is in
very good conditions.
◼It seems to be from the Bronze Age.
◼In the same excavation the archeologists found other smaller objects
like a casserole, a pout, which were used in the kitchen in this period
(1,800-1,700B.C)

4. ATAPUERCA
◼The Sima de los Huesos has a sock size. This gap acted as a natural
trap for bears which went in to the cave winter .
◼In this place Arsuaga and his team found a pile of bones. These
bones are fossils of bears.
◼In 2014 the Atapuerca team found more than 200 hominids fossils.

5. Juan Luis Arsuaga descending into Sima de los Huesos site, for
what he needs to use a 15 m ladder

6. ATAPUERCA
◼ In the Sima de los Huesos archaeologists have found seven new
skulls with an antiquity of 434, 000 years.
◼ These fossils give us a lot of information about the origin and
evolution of Neanderthals.
◼ 500,000 year ago a maternal aunt of the Neanderthals was located
in the Iberian Peninsula, in the Sima de los Huesos.
◼ This means that there was more than one human species living at
the same time in the Iberian Peninsula.
◼ Our species and the Neandertals lived together a lot of years ago.

8. ◼ The cave contains the most aged cave paintings at least 40,800
years of antiquity.
◼ To know the antiquity of these cave paintings the experts analyzed
the minerals like uranium and calcium which were above the
paintings.
◼ With this information we can think that these paintings were made by
the Neanderthals who were living in the Iberian Peninsula 40,000
years ago.
◼ These makes us think and to compare the Neanderthals’ art with our
art.
El Castillo Cave

10. Gibraltar
◼ In Gorham’s Cave in Gibraltar archeologists have found the first
abstract engraving that Neanderthals made intentionally .
◼ It’s an engraving made on a small rock of 300 cm2
◼ SEveral crossed and parallel lines were drawn at right angles on the
floor of the cave that was inhabited by Neanderthals.
◼ That means that cognitive abilities of Neanderthals have been
undervalued by paleontologists for decades.
◼ Neanderthals had an abstract thought, similar to the Homo Sapiens.

12. Sources
◼ http://www.abc.es/toledo/ciudad/20140914/abci-hallan-vasija-edad-bronce-201409142037.html
◼ http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/08/20/eps/1408535436_570793.html
◼ http://sociedad.elpais.com/sociedad/2014/06/19/actualidad/1403197173_091117.html
◼ http://nationalgeographic.es/noticias/ciencia/mundos-prehistoricos/pinturas-mas-antiguas
◼ http://www.elmundo.es/ciencia/2014/09/01/5404ad8de2704e490f8b458e.html