Sima de las Palomas facts for kids

Sima de las Palomas (which means "Rock-Dove hole") is an important archaeological site in the Region of Murcia, Spain. It's found on a hill called Cabezo Gordo, between the towns of Balsicas and San Javier. For thousands of years, this cave was home to ancient humans, including Neanderthals.

The cave is a deep shaft that was filled with rock and soil during the Late Pleistocene period. In the 1800s, miners dug into the shaft, looking for water or minerals. They left behind piles of rubble. In the 1990s, scientists found ancient human fossils, including Neanderthal remains, in this rubble. Later, in 2006-2007, a nearly complete skeleton of a young Neanderthal woman was discovered inside the shaft. Researchers believe she might have been buried with her child.

Exploring the Sima de las Palomas Cave

This special cave is located in Torre-Pacheco, within the Region of Murcia. It's a natural hole, or vertical shaft, formed in the karst rock of the Cabezo Gordo hill. From the cave, you can see the Mar Menor, a large saltwater lagoon connected to the Mediterranean Sea.

The cave entrance is under a rocky overhang, about 123 meters (403 feet) above sea level. The shaft itself goes down about 18 meters (59 feet). Over time, it filled up with a mix of broken rocks and soil. In the 19th century, miners dug a horizontal tunnel towards the shaft. They removed a lot of the material, leaving piles of rubble on the hillside. They were likely searching for water to help with iron ore mining nearby.

How Discoveries Began

Archaeological work at Sima de las Palomas started when a fossil, later named Palomas 1, was found in the miners' rubble. Someone had climbed down into the shaft and spotted a fossil in the sediment. It turned out to be the jawbones of a Neanderthal, still connected. This was a very important discovery, leading to scientific investigations.

Researchers soon realized that the miners had dug out most of the shaft. However, they had left a column of ancient rock and soil on one side of the now 3-meter (10-foot) wide shaft. To study this remaining material, archaeologists had to build scaffolding from the bottom of the shaft. The cave got its name, "Rock-Dove hole," because many rock doves were nesting there during the early investigations.

Between 1992 and 1999, scientists studied the rubble left by the miners. After 1994, they began excavating inside the shaft itself. These important investigations are still happening today. They are managed by the Murcian Association for the Study of Palaeoanthropology and the Quaternary.

Amazing Finds at the Site

Archaeologists have found ancient remains in three main areas at Sima de las Palomas. First, there's the rubble left by the miners. These finds are harder to date accurately because they were moved from their original spots. Second, there's a layer of rock and soil with remains that are over 50,000 years old. Third, there are the layers dug out inside the shaft, which contain remains from about 40,000 years ago.

In total, around 100 human fossils have been found here. Some of these discoveries suggest that the ancient people might have been buried. This is a very interesting idea for scientists.

Scientists who studied the site in 2008 wrote that the discoveries confirm Neanderthals lived in southeastern Spain for a long time. They also suggested that Neanderthals in this area might have changed over time or even met and mixed with early modern humans from the north. The bones found show some differences from other Neanderthals. This could be because they lived in a somewhat isolated area, or perhaps they had contact with other groups.

Palomas 96: A Young Neanderthal Woman

One very special discovery is an individual called Palomas 96. This was a young Neanderthal woman found in 2006-2007. Her face, teeth, and body parts were typical of European Neanderthals. However, her strong leg bones were more like those of later humans from the Late Pleistocene period. She was also shorter than many other Neanderthals.

Palomas 96 was nicknamed "Paloma" by the researchers. About 85% of her skeleton was found. Underneath her, archaeologists found the remains of a child, named Palomas 97, who might have been her child. Both Palomas 96 and Palomas 97 were found with their elbows bent and hands near their foreheads. This position suggests they were placed that way before their bodies became stiff after death. This is strong evidence that they were intentionally buried.

See also

In Spanish: Sima de las Palomas para niños