A sixteen-year-old volunteer archaeologist has unearthed a human tooth that is estimated to be between 550,000 and 580,000 years old, possibly belonging to one of the earliest humans to live in Europe. The tooth was discovered in the Arago Cave in Tautavel, in the Pyrenees-Orientales area of Southern France.
Camille Jacquey was brushing away sandy soil from the floor of the cave when she found the tooth along with her co-worker Valentine Loescher, who was also taking part in a summer excavation in the cave.
Dr Amelie Viallet, a paleoanthropologist for the Institut de Paleontologie Humaine in Paris, lead the excavation and said that the new discovery was at least 100,000 years older than the last bones found in the same cave, which were discovered 46 years ago. Dr Viallet said that it was impossible to tell whether the tooth was male or female but called it ‘a major discovery’ as it is one of very few examples of human remains from this period in European history.
The tooth is thought to have belonged to a relatively old adult, due to the wear on the crown, and this indicates that humans were using the cave much earlier than previously thought. Tests are still being carried out on the tooth find out more about it.