A Neandertal foot phalanx from the Galería de las Estatuas site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain)

A newly discovered Neandertal foot phalanx from the Galería de las Estatuas site (Spain) represents one of the oldest Late Neandertal fossils found inland on the Iberian Peninsula, dating to 107-112 ka BP. This distal phalanx exhibits robust and broad morphology typical of Neandertals, distinguishing it from modern humans. The find was recovered in a Mousterian stratigraphic context with evidence of sporadic carnivore activity, providing critical insights into Late Pleistocene human occupation and behavior at the Sierra de Atapuerca complex. The study employed metric comparisons with fossil and recent Homo samples to confirm Neandertal affiliation, leveraging single-grain optically stimulated luminescence dating to contextualize the discovery within the broader archaeological narrative of the region.

Pablos, A., Gómez‐Olivencia, A., & Arsuaga, J. L. (2018). A Neandertal foot phalanx from the Galería de las Estatuas site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain). American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 168(1), 222–228. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23729