Tell us … man Tautavel – France Info

A human tooth 560,000 years was unearthed during excavations in Tautavel (Pyrénées-Orientales). The human remains from the Tautavel Man, an opportunity to explain who this man is.

The man Tautavel, it is the discovery of a skull 44 years ago, a discovery that is still regarded today as a “ exceptional “. It is the oldest “ face ” known in Europe. It dates back to 450,000 years. Bones are often found, femurs, tibias, but not faces. These are very rare because “ because of the holes in the sockets and nose, they break easily ,” said Tony Knight anthropologist at Tautavel.
This skull ” all the features of the first Europeans: a receding forehead, a ridge above the eye sockets, cheekbones and jaw advanced “notes the European Centre for Prehistoric Research at Tautavel. It helped create a portrait of a man of about twenty years, about 1m60, an ancestor of Neanderthals. His remains were discovered during excavations in the Arago Cave, in Tautavel, in 1971. A cave that has certainly chosen because it dominates the valley and is very close to a river.

fire without Hunter

The Tautavel Man does not control the fire, but is a good fighter. This means that he ate raw meat. The excavations have uncovered the remains of horses, reindeer and bison particular. These remains allow anthropologists to learn more about the lifestyle of prehistoric man, but also the climate! With reindeer example we know that the time had to be cold and horses indicate that the land was not planted.

Tautavel exceptional

Because it is one of three or four places in the world where there is a concentration of remains. Systematic excavations have been organized since the 60s Besides the skull of man Tautavel, the researchers found 148 human remains including five mandibles and hundreds of thousands of objects as tools Quartz. This means that the cave Tautavel, perched below the Verdouble gorges, was a popular place in prehistoric times.
The tooth that was found this week is invaluable. There was so far one remains found in the world (the mandible of Moher) between 450,000 and 950,000 years. It will mainly be used to record dimensions.
Excavations are organized every year by the Tautavel European Centre for historical research. Geology Students; Prehistory in Paleontology, Anthropology young researchers and volunteers involved. This center was created through the discovery of the skull in 1971. Here everything is born of the discovery of the face of man Tautavel.
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