O sítio acheulense do Plistocénico médio da Gruta da Aroeira

Dated to ca. 400 ka (Marine Isotope Stage 11), the site of Gruta da Aroeira (Torres Novas, Portugal) is one of the very few Middle Pleistocene localities that have yielded a fossil hominin cranium associated with Acheulean bifaces, in a cave context. Our multi-analytical approach to the site’s archaeological record focused on different aspects: the human cranium (Aroeira 3), the faunal remains, the use of fire, and the lithic industry. The Aroeira 3 fossil cranium displays a primitive bony labyrinth and a perimortem bone fracture. The lithic assemblage suggests limited mobility, with on-site knapping; the bifaces, however, were brought to the site as finished tools. Among the faunal remains, the primate Macaca sylvanus is present and cervids, including the Mediterranean deer Haploidocerus mediterraneus, previously undocumented in the Middle Pleistocene of the Iberian Peninsula, predominate. Paleoenvironmental reconstruction using the small vertebrate assemblage suggests an open woodland landscape with semi-humid conditions. The presence of combustion by-products supports the controlled use of fire by the peoples of the Acheulean