- In the cave of Lezetxiki in Arrasate, recently affected by the works of the TAV, a researcher at the University of Bordeaux states that the Neanderthal man lived to the Aurigñac, after reviewing the pinares that appeared in the field.
In one of the most important prehistoric sites in the Basque Country, Lezetxiki, the presence of Neanderthals was known, but a new study assures that this species of homo lived later than was believed.
Just as this medium of communication advanced in the news about the damage caused to the cave by the works of the TAV, the researcher of the University of Bordeaux, Diego López Onaindia, has just published the article in the journal American Journal of Biological Anthropology, along with other international researchers, including the archaeologist of the UPV and the excavation director of Zablezetxiki, Álvaro. In the excavations carried out by José Miguel de Barandiarán in 1966, the study provides more data on two forceps exposed in Lezetxiki.
In Lezetxiki, the transition between the times of Moustier and Aurigñac is perfectly observed: the former predominates Neanderthals; the latter predominates homo sapiens or the present man.
López explained through Twitter the details of his work and expressed concern about the damage caused by the TAV bte tunnel in Lezetxiki: "I do not understand how this can be accepted in the 21st century".
The Catalan Institute of Human Palentology and Social Evolution (IPHES) has also echoed the research. The IPHES states that excavation of the cave has been taking place for years, making Lezetiki a "reference site for prehistory", since induced stratigraphy collects almost all prehistoric cultures.
In fact, in Lezetxiki, the transition between the times of Moustier and Aurigñac can be perfectly observed: in the former, Neanderthals predominated; in the latter, homo sapiens or present man. However, the latest chronological data indicate that many of the lytic vestiges considered from the Mouster period can also be from the Aurigñac period, so there was doubt that the teeth appearing in these stratigraphic sequences were Neanderthals.
Lopez, after scanning and studying teeth in detail, states that they are the most mature Neanderthals. Therefore, these vestiges of Lezetxiki confirm that the presence of Neanderthals in the north of the Iberian Peninsula is much higher than expected, between 57,000 and 32,000 years.