UNESCO World Heritage SiteUNESCO Heritage
Spain

Atapuerca Mountains

Lower Paleolithic site in northern Spain

Location

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Historical Context

About

The Atapuerca Mountains (Spanish: Sierra de Atapuerca) is a karstic hill formation near the village of Atapuerca in the province of Burgos (autonomous community of Castile and Leon), northern Spain. In a still ongoing excavation campaign, rich fossil deposits and stone tool assemblages have been discovered which are attributed to the earliest known hominin residents in Western Europe. This "exceptional reserve of data" has been deposited during extensive Lower Paleolithic presence, as the Atapuerca Mountains served as the preferred occupation site of Homo erectus, Homo antecessor, Homo heidelbergensis and Homo neanderthalensis communities. The earliest specimen so far unearthed and reliably dated confirm an age between 1.2 million and 630,000 years. The Archaeological site of Atapuerca is a World Heritage Site. Some finds are exhibited in the nearby Museum of Human Evolution, in Burgos.

Paleolithic
Mesolithic
Neolithic
Chalcolithic
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Classical Period
Post-Classical Period
Early Modern Period
Industrial Period
Contemporary Period
Temporal Epochs

Historical Timeline

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Battle of Atapuerca

1054

UNESCO inscription

2000

Dolinasorex identified

2008

Earliest hominin specimens dated

between 1.2 million and 630,000 years ago

Classification

Archaeological Features

Unique architectural and cultural elements found at this historical site

category

Military Installations

Battlefields
category

Domestic and Habitation Structures

Caves
category

Environmental and Natural Features

CavesSoil Layers
category

Transportation and Communication Structures

Roads
Knowledge Base

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Reference

Details

Country

Spain

Coordinates

42.37° N, -3.52° E