A new assemblage of late Neanderthal remains from Cova Simanya (NE Iberia)

This study presents an exceptional collection of 54 Late Pleistocene human remains that correspond to at least three Neanderthal individuals from Simanya Gran, the main gallery of Cova Simanya, located in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. The collection comprised 53 unpublished remains that were unearthed during the 1970s and an additional tooth discovered during 2021 excavations. The specimens represent an adult with a small stature, a periadolescent aged approximately 11.5 years, and an immature individual aged approximately 7.7 years, thus offering a more complete demographic perspective. The collection encompasses diverse anatomical parts including upper and lower dentition, mandible, vertebrae, and limb bones from both the upper and lower extremities. Attempts to extract aDNA were unsuccessful. Renewed archaeological investigations at Cova Simanya have facilitated the reevaluation of the original stratigraphic context of these remains, leading to the discovery of the additional tooth, aligning with the periadolescent individual. This assemblage is currently the most extensive Neanderthal collection from the northeastern Mediterranean Iberia, offering invaluable insights into the morphology and evolutionary trajectory of Late Pleistocene hominins. Hence, Simanya Neanderthals will enhance our understanding of Neanderthal demographics and evolution, paving the way for an in-depth examination of the morphological diversity and evolutionary context of Iberian Neanderthals.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the projects PID2021-122356NB-I00 (MNCN-CSIC, AR), PID2020-113960GB-I00 (UB, JF), PID2021-124590NB-I00 (MCNB, CL-F), PID2019-103987GB-C31 (IPHES-CERCA), and PID2021-126004NB-100 (IBE-UPF-CSIC, TM-B); the AGAUR through the research groups 2021 SGR 01237 (IPHES-CERCA, EA), 2021 SGR 00337 (UB, JF), and 2021 SGR 00177 (IBE-UPF-CSIC, TM-B); the Culture Department of the Generalitat de Catalunya through the project ARQ001SOL-172-2022; and the Diputació de Barcelona and the Fundación Palarq. MS was funded by the UAM Tomás y Valiente Program, JR by the European Union-Next Generation EU, Ministry of Universities and UA (MARSALAS21-22), and DL by the Xunta de Galicia Grant ED481B-2022-048. ST and TM-B received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (grant agreement no. 803147 RESOLUTION, https://site.unibo.it/resolution-erc/en (ST), and no. 864203 (TM-B)]. IPHES-CERCA received financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “María de Maeztu” program for Units of Excellence (CEX 2019-000945-M)