The Gravettian occipital bone from the site of Malladetes (Barx, Valencia, Spain).
The juvenile occipital bone from the site of Malladetes in Valencia (Spain) is described and compared with other European Pleistocene representatives of the genus Homo. This specimen derives from a Gravettian cultural context and has been AMS radiocarbon-dated to 25,120 +/- 240 years BP. As such, it provides evidence on early modern human anatomy from the Central Mediterranean region of the Iberian peninsula. The clear evidence for a late survival of Neandertals in southern Iberia, has led to considerable debate surrounding the biological and cultural interactions between these Pleistocene humans and their early modern human successors, and it is within this context that the Malladetes specimen represents an important contribution to the discussion. The recently discovered Upper Paleolithic infant from the site of Lagar Velho in Portugal is said to show a mosaic of Neandertal and early modern human characteristics throughout the skeleton and is argued to represent the strongest evidence yet recovered in favor of hybridization between these two Pleistocene populations. Our analysis of the Malladetes occipital, however, reveals no evidence of Neandertal genetic influence.
Arsuaga
Juan Luis
JL
Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain. jlarsuaga@isciii.es
Villaverde
Valentín
V
Quam
Rolf
R
Gracia
Ana
A
Lorenzo
Carlos
C
Martínez
Ignacio
I
Carretero
José-Miguel
JM
D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005580:Fossils; D005828:Genetics, Population; D015186:Hominidae; D006801:Humans; D009777:Occipital Bone / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D010802:Phylogeny