Orce facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Orce, Spain
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View of Orce
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Location of Orce
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| Country | Spain | ||
| Province | Granada | ||
| Municipality | Orce | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 324 km2 (125 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 928 m (3,045 ft) | ||
| Population
(2018)
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| • Total | 1,198 | ||
| • Density | 3.698/km2 (9.577/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) | ||
Orce is a small town located in the province of Granada, in southeastern Spain. It is known for its important discoveries about early human history. As of 2018, about 1,198 people live in Orce.
Contents
Discovering Ancient Humans in Orce
Orce is a very important place for studying early humans. This field of study is called paleoanthropology. Scientists have found many ancient sites here. These sites are named Barranco León, Venta Micena, and Fuente Nueva 3. They are located near an old lake basin where fossils have been kept safe in the ground for millions of years.
Oldest Stone Tools in Europe
A team of scientists, led by Josep Gibert, has been digging in Orce. They found very old stone tools at these sites. These tools are called Oldowan-style tools. This means they are simple tools made by early humans. Scientists believe these tools are between 1.5 and 1.8 million years old.
If these dates are correct, these would be the oldest stone tools ever found in Europe. This would mean that early human ancestors settled in Europe much earlier than we thought. Other scientists think the tools might be a bit younger, around 1.2 million years old.
Evidence of Early Settlers
These tools, along with ancient human bones found at the Atapuerca Mountains in Spain, show something amazing. They prove that human ancestors lived in western Europe over one million years ago. This helps us understand how early humans spread across the world.
How Scientists Date Discoveries
Scientists use special methods to figure out how old these finds are. One method is called Electron Spin Resonance (ESR). They use it on fossil teeth and tiny quartz grains. Recent studies using ESR show that:
- The Fuente Nueva 3 site is about 1.2 million years old.
- The Barranco León and Venta Micena sites are about 1.4 million years old.
These dates help scientists create a timeline of when early humans lived in this area.
