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Discovery of Ancient Remains

Researchers discovered that human remains at the Orce sites in Spain are nearly 1.3 million years old, according to a new study led by Lluis Gibert at the University of Barcelona.

Re-dating the Remains

The re-dating of the remains provided new insights into the timeline of early human migration to Europe, suggesting they reached the continent much earlier than previously thought.

Migration Route  through Gibraltar

The study supports the theory that early humans entered Europe via the Strait of Gibraltar rather than the Mediterranean route through Asia.

Controversial Arrival Timeline

Researchers noted that the chronology of the first arrival of hominins in Europe has been debated for over a century, with estimated arrival ages ranging between 1.6 and 0.9 million years.

Paleomagnetic Analysis

The study utilized a new Early Pleistocene magnetostratigraphy, recording four paleomagnetic boundaries within an 80-meter fluvio-lacustrine sedimentary succession in southeastern Spain.

Dating of Fossil Sites

The Venta Micena site was dated to 1.32 million years ago, Barranco León to 1.28 million years ago, and Fuente Nueva 3 to 1.23 million years ago, surpassing the age of the Sima del Elefante site in Atapuerca.

Unique Stratified Sites

The Orce sites were found to be unique due to their stratification within an extensive sedimentary sequence over eighty meters long.

Detailed Magnetostratigraphy

Researchers identified a detailed, extended magnetostratigraphy encompassing the fossil sites, placing them between 1.77 and 1.07 million years ago using stratigraphic interpolation and Bayesian age-stratigraphic modelling.

Evidence of Gibraltar Route

The study concluded that early humans likely entered Europe through the Strait of Gibraltar, as no older evidence has been found along alternative routes, reinforcing the hypothesis of this migration path.