These publications were created by the area of Prehistory at the University of Burgos, directed by Carlos Díez, professor of Prehistory at the university. They can also be found on the website www.diariodeatapuerca.net
The habitat
Human groups have always sought meeting places where they can share food and culture. These places were transformed into camps, cottages, villages and towns. This study of prehistoric settlement systems allows us to understand their way of life in the past.
Mirador Cave
Mirador Cave, with its current shelter form, is one of the oldest cavities of the karst system of Sierra de Atapuerca. Its great location makes it an ideal place for many activities such as hunting, housing, as well as visual control of the territory and even burials.
The Neolitic
Several documented sites are attributable to the Neolithic period in the vicinity of Sierra de Atapuerca, from outdoor camps such as La Barraca or Prado Grande, to livestock stabling places and habitats such as Mirador Cave, through enclosures used for the rest of their dead ones, as in the case of the Flint Gallery.
The rite of death
Life and death are inexorably linked, and the second comes from the first. Only humans are aware of the limitation of our lives and it's only us who create rituals and give symbols to the event.
The human evolution
Atapuerca is key to understanding our past. Its sediments stretch back 1.2 million years and have the remains of Homo antecessor, heidelbergensis and sapiens. Their study has allowed us to suggest African origin for the first and its crux character for later species.
Hunters and scavengers
The Gallery site is a cave that was opened because of the construction of the Railway Trench. It consists of several pits, a separate corridor and a blind cavity. Excavations began in 1980, and strong evidence of animals, plants, people and activities of the Paleolithic period was recorded.
Fauna and flora in Atapuerca
The paleo-ecological study of the base on level 6 of the Gran Dolina made it possible to discover the characteristics of a cold period. Meanwhile, level 8 has provided the best example of what an interglacial stage was like, with a great abundance of species.
A changing landscape
In the Oligocene, about 25 million years ago, tectonic forces caused the rise of Sierra de Atapuerca. In the Quaternary, these plains were carved by rivers, forming valleys gradually.
The flint gallery
Discovered in 1972 by the Edelweiss Speleological Group, the Gallery of Flint is one of the lesser known areas of Cueva Mayor. Human and wildlife remains have been found, also pottery, flint, water storage and retention structures, and carvings and paintings.