Late survival of Neanderthals at the southernmost extreme of Europe.
The late survival of archaic hominin populations and their long contemporaneity with modern humans is now clear for southeast Asia. In Europe the extinction of the Neanderthals, firmly associated with Mousterian technology, has received much attention, and evidence of their survival after 35 kyr bp has recently been put in doubt. Here we present data, based on a high-resolution record of human occupation from Gorham's Cave, Gibraltar, that establish the survival of a population of Neanderthals to 28 kyr bp. These Neanderthals survived in the southernmost point of Europe, within a particular physiographic context, and are the last currently recorded anywhere. Our results show that the Neanderthals survived in isolated refuges well after the arrival of modern humans in Europe.
Finlayson
Clive
C
The Gibraltar Museum, 18-20 Bomb House Lane, Gibraltar. jcfinlay@gibraltar.gi
Pacheco
Francisco Giles
FG
Rodríguez-Vidal
Joaquín
J
Fa
Darren A
DA
Gutierrez López
José María
JM
Santiago Pérez
Antonio
A
Finlayson
Geraldine
G
Allue
Ethel
E
Baena Preysler
Javier
J
Cáceres
Isabel
I
Carrión
José S
JS
Fernández Jalvo
Yolanda
Y
Gleed-Owen
Christopher P
CP
Jimenez Espejo
Francisco J
FJ
López
Pilar
P
López Sáez
José Antonio
JA
Riquelme Cantal
José Antonio
JA
Sánchez Marco
Antonio
A
Guzman
Francisco Giles
FG
Brown
Kimberly
K
Fuentes
Noemí
N
Valarino
Claire A
CA
Villalpando
Antonio
A
Stringer
Christopher B
CB
Martinez Ruiz
Francisca
F
Sakamoto
Tatsuhiko
T
D000818:Animals; D005580:Fossils; D005876:Gibraltar; D049690:History, Ancient; D015186:Hominidae / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D011157:Population Dynamics; D013997:Time Factors