As Sabrina Curran peered once more through the magnifying glass at the fossil's surface, she paused to take a deep breath. Bathed in the glow from an intense light source placed almost parallel to the bone’s face, the distinct V-shaped marks stood out prominently on the specimen. Their presence could not be questioned.
She had encountered these markings earlier, observed on bones processed using stone tools approximately 1.8 million years ago, sourced from a location known as Dmanisi in Georgia. These were incisions created by a hominin utilizing a stone instrument. Following several moments that seemed to stretch endlessly—though they were likely just a few seconds—she faced her fellow researchers and remarked, "Hey… I believe I’ve discovered something."
What she noticed in 2017 was our group’s initial indication that hominins However, multiple animals were dismembered at the location of Grăunceanu, in Romania, around 1.95 million years ago. Prior to this finding, the earliest well-documented proof of hominin existence – our direct forebears – in Eurasia was found among other cut marks at Dmanisi.
Various researchers have identified locations across Eurasia and northern Africa where they found hominin fossils, stone tools, or remains of animals that were cut up for meat during roughly the same period. Our latest study contributes to this narrative by providing solidly dated and authenticated proof indicating that hominins had expanded into these regions by approximately 2 million years ago.
A Romanian website featuring fossils of animal remains
Here's some information about Grăunceanu: This outdoor location was first explored in the 1960s when scientists uncovered numerous fossils of ancient animals. It stands out as one of the most prominent Early Pleistocene sites in Eastern Central Europe. A significant number of these fossilized remains are remarkably intact and appeared undisturbed from their original positions during the dig. These dense clusters of bones were referred to as "bone nests" due to their tightly grouped arrangement.
If you stood on the hillside around Grăunceanu nearly two million years ago, it might have appeared quite similar: a river meandering through a forest that gradually opens up into expansive grasslands towards the base of the hills. From time to time, this river overflowed its banks, depositing fertile soil across the floodplain and nourishing the vegetation consumed by local wildlife. Everything seems ordinary until you take a closer look at these creatures: ostriches, pangolins, giraffes, saber-toothed cats, and hyenas — all inhabiting Europe!
It's the fossil remains of these ancient animals found at Grăunceanu that caught attention. Sadly, much of the documentation and location details from the dig site have gone missing over time. Nonetheless, even without this information, the fossils unearthed at Grăunceanu are exceptionally well-preserved, providing a treasure trove of paleontological insights.
Several years following the discovery of the initial cut marks, our team—which comprises biological anthropologist Claire Terhune, zooarchaeologist Samantha Gogol, and paleoanthropologist Chris Robinson—dedicated several weeks to meticulously examine all 4,524 Grăunceanu fossils in search of additional markings.
We scrutinized each surface of every fossil bone using a magnifying glass along with low-angle lighting. The majority of these fossils exhibit root etching — wavy, superficial, interlaced markings caused by neighboring plant roots. However, for any linear mark that appeared intriguing, we created an impression of it utilizing dental molding compound.
Confirming they’re cut marks
We cannot travel back in time using a time machine to witness when those markings were created. Indeed, early humans working with stone tools might have etched them into bones. However, both prehistoric carnivores and crocodiles could potentially create similar marks using their pointed teeth. River sediments have the potential to score any bones moving within the water currents. Additionally, large creatures traversing the terrain may displace and abrade skeletal remains simply through their movement.
Therefore, what makes us certain these are cut marks? This is where our zooarchaeology colleagues, Michael Pante and Trevor Keevil, played their part.
In recent years, Pante created a new technique aimed at pinpointing the origin of markings found on bones. This process begins with obtaining accurate 3D measurements of the impression marks through the use of a sophisticated instrument known as a non-contact 3D optical profiler.
Next, they match the 3D form details from the historical markings against a database containing 898 examples taken from contemporary bones. These samples were created through recognized methods such as cutting with stone tools, animal predation, and wear caused by sediments.
This novel approach enhances the more qualitative, descriptive methods employed by numerous researchers, including our team, for identifying marks. For example, we take into account factors like the position of the mark: Does it occur close to a muscle attachment point, which could indicate potential cutting traces had a hominin been stripping flesh off the bone?
According to our analysis, we found that out of 20 Grăunceanu fossils, 8 have clear-cut markings with a high degree of confidence. These markings primarily appear on fossils from hoofed creatures, such as several types of deer, along with one fossil identified as belonging to a smaller carnivorous animal’s limb bone. Whenever we were able to determine the specific kind of bone involved, these cut marks consistently appeared at positions that would be logical for slicing flesh away from the bones during processing.
Dating the site
Although the fossil specimens found at the site provide an approximate age estimation, we employed uranium-lead (U-Pb) dating for a more accurate measurement. This method leverages the known decay rate of natural uranium into lead over extended durations as a means to measure geological timelines. Essentially, scientists utilize this uranium-to-lead transformation ratio akin to a radioactive stopwatch to ascertain precisely when certain formations occurred.
When one of us, Virgil Drăgușin, approached geochemist Jon Woodhead about using U-Pb dating to determine the age of the Grăunceanu fossils from some tiny tooth fragments, he hesitated. Typically, teeth aren’t ideal for this type of dating method. However, after agreeing to try it out, much to his astonishment, the teeth proved to be quite effective.
Alongside his associate John Hellstrom, they determined a significantly more accurate date for the location. As a result, we have learned that the Grăunceanu site exceeds an age of 1.95 million years.
Collectively, all this information — including the highly calibrated and closely grouped ages of the remains as well as at least 20 bones showing cut marks confirmed through both qualitative and quantitative analyses — offers strong proof that hominins were present in Eurasia by at least 1.95 million years ago. This conclusion holds despite the absence of hominin fossils found in Grăunceanu.
At times, using our magnifying glasses makes us feel as though we can glimpse into history itself. While this isn’t possible—our observations allow us to gather enough clues to reconstruct a more accurate depiction of events from the past in Grăunceanu.
Envisioning the scene 1.95 million years ago, we observe deer nervously quenching their thirst at the riverside, impressive mammoths in the far-off landscape, a cluster of horses feeding peacefully, a saber-toothed feline silently tracking a big primate, a mother bear guiding her young ones through hunting techniques... all this alongside a tiny band of hominids engaged in the process of carving up a deer carcass.
Briana Pobiner serves as a Research Scientist and Museum Educator at the Smithsonian Institution. Sabrina Curran holds the position of Associate Professor. Anthropology At Ohio University. Virgil Drǎgușin serves as a Senior Scientist at the Emil Racoviță Institute of Speleology, part of the Academia Română.
This piece has been republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. You can read the original article here. original article .
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