Old Pleistocene faunal record of Atapuerca (Burgos)

Abstract

Faunal lists are presented of the successive beds, either excavated or sampled, in four different sections of the localities at Atapuerca and lbeas de Juarros, Burgos. Considerations follow on the climate and other ecological conditions which may have influenced fossil preservation and the paleofaunal composition of each bed. Correlations are considered between the different sections of Atapuerca and European local fauna. Lower beds of Gran Dolina (TD.3-6) and Penal (TP.3-7) yield abundant remains of a known faunal association lasting with little change from late Early Pleistocene (after Jaramillo) to the West-Runton Freshwater Beds (Cromer Forest Beds). The upper beds of Atapuerca in Gran Dolina (TD.10-11) and the 'Tres Simas' complex (CTS3) are correlated on the ground of their faunal assemblages with those of the mid-upper Middle Pleistocene of Europe, La Fage, Bilzingsleben, Swanscombe, Steinheim 2, Castel di Guido, Malagrotta, Ehringsdorf, which may be correlated to OIS episode 9, or 7. The intermediate beds of Gran Dolina (TD.7-8) have not yet been excavated; the excavation of the intermediate unit of the Tres Simas Complex (CTS.2) was started on/y recently, so that the present author only knows its faunal content from early sampling.It can be predicted that these assemblages, when recovered, will resemble those known from Mauer, L'Escale, Belle-Roche, Cava Pompi, Arago, Lunel-Viel, Westbury 2, which represent major faunal changes in Europe over 500 kaBP and about 400 kaBP. The fossil humans and associated remains in «Sima de los Huesos» probably correspond to that median part of the Middle Pleistocene. Additional considerations deal with ecological factors that may have influenced the European faunal associations over that time span, with archaeological remains related lo them. Changes are shown, and questions posed for future research.