Atapuerca is an archaeological site located in the Sierra de Atapuerca near Burgos, Spain, famous for its significant fossil finds, including two Homo heidelbergensis skulls discovered in 1992. Excavations began in 1964 and have revealed the oldest European hominid remains, with a notable accumulation of human fossils dated to around 500,000 years ago, suggesting complex behaviors like burial practices. This site provides vital insights into early human life, such as diet, tool usage, and health conditions.

2. Atapuerca’s site is placed in the Sierra of Atapuerca, a little hill
that has 1,085 metres of maximum height. It’s located 15 km
East of Burgos. The closest town from this famous
archeological site is Atapuerca.

3. • It was discovered in 1895 when a railroad track was being built.
• Nowadays, the part of the groove where there are sites is known as
Trinchera del Ferrocarril (Railway Trench), one kilometer long. The sites
are called Sima del Elefante, Galería, Gran Dolina, Cueva Mayor (which
contains Portalón, Sima de los Huesos and Galería del Sílex) and
Mirador.
• Excavations started in 1964 with Francisco Jordá. Emiliano Aguirre
continued with them in the 70s and 80s and later, since the 90s, with
Arsuaga, Carbonell and Bermúdez de Castro.
Bermúdez de Castro, Carbonell and
Arsuaga

4. • Atapuerca started to be famous all over the world when two Homo
heidelbergensis skulls who lived 300,000 years ago were discovered (they
were called “Agamenón” and “Miguelón”) in 1992.
• In Gran Dolina, archaeologists have
discovered remains of the oldest
European hominid: Homo Antececessor,
who lived 800,000 years ago.
«Miguelón» «Excalibur», handaxe made of red quartzite

5. • Nowadays, to reach Bones Pit you have to go 500 metres through Cueva Mayor, the
complex where it’s located.
• There, archaeologists have found the biggest accumulation of human fossils (at least 32
individuals. Most of them belong to the species Homo heidelbergensis) in the world, which
date to around 500,000 years.
• Archaeologists think that this site was a deposit of
corpses, maybe funerary. Possibly, Bones Pit is
the oldest testimony of symbolic behavior.
They think in this way because they found tools
buried with the corpses, for example, the handaxe
“Excalibur”.
• Scientists have discovered other curious things.
For example, they know that those hominids ate
vegetables, because they showed big tooth wear.
They know that those hominids were right-handed,
used toothpicks, were healthy (even though they
have some bumps in the skull) and that “Miguelón”
surely died because of a septicaemia, because
scientists have found a mouth infection, which
extended to other parts of the body because it
wasn’t treated.
Reconstruction of
«Miguelón»

7. They have also found jaws of an
unknown species of bear: Ursus
deningeri.
«Miguelón» again.
A pelvis called
«Elvis».

8. All the fossils found in the
Bones Pit.

9. • http://atapuerca.evoluciona.org/documents/00/es/gral_foto/content/i
nici/04_sima_de_los_huesos.html
• http://www.atapuerca.tv/atapuerca/yacimiento_huesos
• http://www.atapuerca.org/huesos.htm#
• http://conoceatapuerca.blogspot.com.es/2012/07/sumergiendose-en-
la-sima-de-los-huesos.html
• http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_de_Atapuerca#Situaci.C3.B3n_g
eogr.C3.A1fica
• http://www.atapuerca.tv/atapuerca/localizacion
• http://www.nationalgeographic.com.es/articulo/historia/secciones/80
21/atapuerca_cuna_los_humanos_mas_antiguos_europa.html?_pa
ge=2

10. PRESENTATION MADE BY
SALVADOR FUENTES LUCAS-TORRES
2푛푑 OF BACHILLERATO
2푛푑 OCTOBER 2014