Fragment of a human face aged over one million years discovered

The discovery of a human facial fragment aged over one million years represents the oldest known face in western Europe and confirms the region was inhabited by two species of human during the early Pleistocene, finds a new study involving a UCL researcher. 

The study, whose findings have been published in Nature, was led by Dr Rosa Huguet (The Catalan Institute for Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES)), supported by Dr María Martinón-Torres (UCL Anthropology Honorary Professor and Director of The Center for Research on Human Evolution (CENIEH)). 

The facial fragments, which make up the left side of an adult face, were excavated from the Spanish archaeological site in 2022, before going through two years of detailed analysis.  

A specialist international team of anthropologists and archaeologists used both traditional conservation techniques and advanced 3D imaging and analysis tools to reconstruct, study and classify the ancient face, which was named Pink. 

“Dr Martinón-Torres said: “We’ve applied future techniques and methods to investigate the past” but stressed: “The evidence is still insufficient for a definitive classification, which is why it has been assigned to H. aff. erectus. This designation acknowledges Pink’s affinities with Homo erectus while leaving open the possibility that it may belong to another species.” 

Also discovered in the excavation were stone tools and the remains of butchered animals. Lead author Dr Rosa Huguet (IPHES-CERCA) explained: “These practices demonstrate that the first Europeans had an intimate understanding of available animal resources and knew how to systematically exploit them.” 

The discovery of the facial fragment represents a major milestone for the Atapuerca Project, of which Dr Martinón-Torres is now lead researcher, and both enhances our knowledge of Europe’s earliest inhabitants and raises questions about the diversity of hominins who lived there.  

Dr Martinón-Torres said: “Our discovery proves that at least two different species of human populated western Europe during the Pleistocene era and it provides fascinating insight into the evolution of the genus Homo.  

“While they are small in size, our pioneering analysis of the facial fragments has hugely enriched our understanding of the origins and dynamics of the continent’s earliest Europeans.” 

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Image 

• Original fossil (ATE7-1) alongside the mirrored right side by means of virtual 3D imaging techniques of the face of a hominin assigned to Homo aff. erectus found in level the TE7 of Sima del Elefante site. Credit: Maria D. Guillén / IPHES-CERCA / Elena Santos / CENIEH. 
• General view of the archaeological excavation work at the Sima del Elefante site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos). Credit: Maria D. Guillén / IPHES-CERCA. 
• Dr. Rosa Huguet, researcher at IPHES-CERCA and professor at Rovira i Virgili University. First author of the paper. Credit: Maria D. Guillén / IPHES-CERCA. 
• Archaeological excavation work at level TE7 of the Sima del Elefante (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos). Credit: Maria D. Guillén / IPHES-CERCA. 

Links 

• Research paper in Nature
• Dr María Martinón-Torres’s academic profile  
• Human Evolution at UCL 
• UCL Anthropology 
• UCL Social and Historical Sciences  
• The Atapuerca Project and Memorandum of Understanding 
• Catalan Institute of Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES) 
• The Spanish National Research Center for Human Evolution (CENIEH) 
• The University of Rovira I Virgili (URV)   
• UNESCO Archaeological Site of Atapuerca 

Media contact 

Sophie Hunter  

E: sophie.hunter@ucl.ac.uk 

P: +44 (0)20 7504 4194