Paleoanthropologists from Germany and Spain have described human remains discovered during excavations at the Reclau Viver and Mollet III caves, both located in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. The bones belonged to at least four adult males who lived approximately 27,000–25,000 years ago, at the end of the Gravettian period. According to a paper published in the Journal of Human Evolution, the finds from these two sites, according to the researchers, represent the earliest intentional Cro-Magnons burials discovered in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula.
Over many years of research, archaeologists have discovered numerous Upper Paleolithic sites on the Iberian Peninsula associated with anatomically modern humans. However, human remains, especially intentional burials, are rare at sites in this region dating back to the Aurignacian and Gravettian periods (approximately 40,000 to 26,000–24,000 years ago). One of the rare exceptions is the Lagar Velho site in Portugal. In this cave, scientists discovered the skeleton of a child buried approximately 29,400–28,300 years ago.
Several other sites containing human remains from this period are known. For example, in the Catalan municipality of Serigna, where numerous ancient hunter-gatherer sites have been discovered, among others, the Reclau Viver and Mollet III caves are located in close proximity to each other. The first excavations were conducted many years ago by a local doctor. In addition to artifacts, in 1948, a researcher discovered human remains at the Reclau Viver site, which he interpreted as Cro-Magnon, but these were long considered lost. And in 1972, in Mollet III, he unearthed a skull, the Paleolithic age of which was confirmed by radiocarbon dating just over ten years ago.
Now, Joaquim Soler of the University of Girona, together with colleagues from Germany and Spain, reported that they have discovered most of the human remains and ancient artifacts excavated in the Reclau Viver Cave at the Banyoles Archaeological Museum. Furthermore, between 2013 and 2020, archaeologists conducted new research in the Mollet III Cave and found bones dating to the same period as the skull.
Among the finds from the mid-20th century, scientists identified fragments of three femurs, a talus, a calcaneus, a metatarsal, a phalanx, fragments of a humerus, and a mandible. For these finds, the researchers obtained two radiocarbon dates, indicating that the remains belonged to individuals who lived approximately 26,300–25,900 and 25,200–24,500 years ago, respectively, in the final Gravettian period. Scientists discovered ten more skeletal elements in Mollet III Cave, with a human skull from the cave dating back approximately 27,000–26,400 years. These included a fragment of a right tibia and a nearly complete tibia, a portion of a femur, and small hand and foot bones. They obtained another radiocarbon date for the tibia fragment, indicating a slightly older age than previously determined for the skull.
According to the researchers, both cases were intentional burials. Each cave contained the remains of at least two adult males, some of whose bones bore traces of ochre. Furthermore, the abundance of personal adornments found at these sites indicated that these were burials. Among other things, artifacts made from marine mollusk shells, 11 pendants made from lynx teeth, and objects made from red deer femurs were found at Reklau-Weaver Cave. At the Mollet-III site, the personal adornments mentioned by the researchers included 12 pendants made from red deer teeth, as well as jewelry made from mollusk shells.
Scientists concluded that their work allowed them to identify the remains of at least four adult males who lived during the final Gravettian. According to their data, these are among the oldest remains of anatomically modern humans found in the northern Iberian Peninsula. Moreover, they are likely the oldest known examples of intentional Cro-Magnon burials in this region.
Other famous archaeological sites are located near these caves, such as Arbreda Cave. Scientists recently reported discovering the teeth of three Neanderthals there, two of whom lived more than 120,000 years ago, and one who lived between 71,000 and 44,000 years ago.
