Arsuaga J L, Villaverde V, Quam R, Martínez I, Carretero J M, Lorenzo C, Gracia A
Centro de Investigación (UCM-ISCIII) de Evolución y Comportamiento Humanos, c/Sinesio, Delgado, 4, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
J Hum Evol. 2007 Jan;52(1):31-58. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2006.07.011. Epub 2006 Aug 8.
New Neandertal fossils from the Mousterian site of Cova Negra in the Valencia region of Spain are described, and a comprehensive study of the entire human fossil sample is provided. The new specimens significantly augment the sample of human remains from this site and make Cova Negra one of the richest human paleontological sites on the Iberian Peninsula. The new specimens include cranial and postcranial elements from immature individuals and provide an opportunity to study the ontogenetic appearance of adult Neandertal characteristics in this Pleistocene population. Children younger than 10 years of age constitute four of the seven minimum number of individuals in the sample, and this relative abundance of children at Cova Negra is similar that in to other Neandertal sites in Europe and southwest Asia. The recognition of diagnostic Neandertal features in several of the specimens, as well as their western European context and late Pleistocene age, suggests that all the human remains from Cova Negra represent Neandertals. The archaeological evidence from Cova Negra indicates sporadic, short-term occupations of the site, suggesting a high degree of mobility among Neandertals.
本文描述了来自西班牙巴伦西亚地区科瓦内格拉莫斯特文化遗址的新尼安德特人化石，并对整个人类化石样本进行了全面研究。这些新标本显著增加了该遗址的人类遗骸样本，使科瓦内格拉成为伊比利亚半岛最丰富的人类古生物学遗址之一。新标本包括来自未成年个体的颅骨和颅后骨骼元素，为研究这个更新世群体中成年尼安德特人特征的个体发育出现情况提供了机会。样本中七个最小个体数中有四个是10岁以下的儿童，科瓦内格拉儿童的这种相对丰度与欧洲和西南亚的其他尼安德特人遗址相似。在几个标本中识别出典型的尼安德特人特征，以及它们的西欧背景和晚更新世时代，表明来自科瓦内格拉的所有人类遗骸都代表尼安德特人。来自科瓦内格拉的考古证据表明该遗址有零星的短期居住情况，这表明尼安德特人具有高度的流动性。
