Antecessor has an interesting palette of features which help to distinguish it.  Notably, its browridges are double-arched (as is the case with Chinese erectus and Neanderthals), as well as having triple rooted molars, a trait most closely recognized in Homo ergaster.  As expected of a Homo specimen from this time period, it has a brain size of over 1,000 cc.

Homo antecessor has been dated to greater than 780,000 years, but that date has since been determined closer to 800,000 years.

The Fossils:

~ATD 6-5 is the type specimen for Homo antecessor

(All fragments listed here were recovered in 1995 at Atapuerca, Spain, and all are dated to approximately 800,000 years)

Click here to see other European fossil hominid specimens

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A. ramidus ~ A. anamensis ~ A. afarensis ~ A. africanus ~ A. gahri ~ A. bahrelghazali ~ P. boisei ~ P. aethiopicus ~ P. robustus ~ H. habilis ~ H. rudolfensis ~ H. erectus ~ H. ergaster ~ H. antecessor ~ H. heidelbergensis ~ H. neanderthalensis ~ H. sapiens

Southern Africa ~ Eastern Africa ~ North Central Africa ~ Asia ~ Europe/Northwestern Africa

Steven Heslip ~ 2001 ~ heslipst@msu.edu