A team from the University of Murcia (UMU), led by Professor Michael Walker, describes in the latest issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) the first articulated skeleton of an adult Neanderthal found on the European Mediterranean coast . The excavation was carried out in the Sima de las Palomas del Cabezo Gordo (Torre Pacheco, Murcia ). The anatomical research has been coordinated by Erik Trinkaus, from Washington University in Saint Louis.
The skeleton has the most complete Neanderthal female pelvis in the world , which will allow the group of researchers from the University of Murcia to delve into aspects of Neanderthal reproduction . In addition, since it is an almost complete skeleton, it has been possible to compare its dimensions with those of other Neanderthals in northern Europe, resulting in the shorter Mediterranean ones.
The remains were discovered under an accumulation of large stones and lying on their side , with their arms flexed and their hands close to their faces, a position that is repeated in other skeletons, which leads the authors to think that they were trying to prevent the deterioration of the bones. corpses by hyenas and leopards.
At the site where the body was found, the article documents the presence of burned bones of horses and other animals, as well as remains of other Neanderthals, suggesting that the site was considered special by prehistoric individuals.
