First evidence of Iberian classic Acheulean of North African origin discovered in Hortigüela (Burgos) in a study led by IPHES-CERCA
A study led by IPHES-CERCA places the arrival of Acheulean technical traditions of North African origin in the Iberian Peninsula 700,000 years ago, documented at the Revilleja de Valparaíso site (Burgos), pushing back by 200,000 years the earliest known e
The Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA) leads a study published in Quaternary Science Reviews that documents the oldest known evidence of the classic Acheulean in the Iberian Peninsula. The research is based on the discovery of thirteen lithic tools dated to approximately 700,000 years ago at the Revilleja de Valparaíso site, in Hortigüela (Burgos), pushing back by around 200,000 years the previously accepted chronology for these technological traditions in the Iberian Peninsula.
The article, led by Francisco-Javier García-Vadillo and Eudald Carbonell, researchers affiliated with IPHES-CERCA and the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, demonstrates that hominin groups with Acheulean technical traditions similar to those in North Africa were already present in the Iberian Peninsula 700,000 years ago. These industries, known as Large Flake Acheulean, are characterised by the production of large tools such as bifaces, picks and cleavers, generally made on large flakes and with symmetrical shapes.
The tools were discovered in an ancient fluvial channel of the Arlanza River, at Cerro de La Revilleja. This sector of the valley is key to understanding Paleolithic human mobility, as it functioned as a natural corridor linking Tierra de Lara with the Sierra de Atapuerca and the Arlanzón valley.
Dating
The age of the site has been determined using Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) and Cosmogenic Nuclides. The obtained dates exceed those of classic sites such as Sima de los Huesos and Galería in Atapuerca (Burgos) or Gruta da Aroeira (Portugal). Until now, it was thought that these technologies did not appear in the Iberian Peninsula before approximately 450,000 years ago.
The tools were recovered from an ancient fluvial channel of the Arlanza River at Cerro de La Revilleja. Geographically, this stretch constitutes a strategic natural passage that facilitated the movement of Paleolithic populations, linking Tierra de Lara with the Sierra de Atapuerca and the Arlanzón valley.
The discovery originates from excavation campaigns carried out in 2021 and 2022, within a research project promoted by Fundación Atapuerca, involving a multidisciplinary team of researchers from institutions such as IPHES-CERCA, URV, CENIEH, CEREGE-CNRS, Museo de la Evolución Humana (MEH), Universidad de Burgos (UBU), and other research groups. A key role was played by the initial discovery of materials by Gerardo López, a resident of Salas de los Infantes, whose collection led researchers to the site.
A shift in models on the origin of the Acheulean
The data from Revilleja de Valparaíso represent a significant advance in understanding European settlement during the Middle Pleistocene. For the first time, a fully developed Acheulean with the defining characteristics of this technological tradition is documented in the Iberian Peninsula, supporting the hypothesis of an early arrival of cultural influences from North Africa through the Strait of Gibraltar.
This discovery also helps refine the view of the European Acheulean, previously based mainly on sites in France and Italy with similar chronologies. In contrast, the Iberian record shows a distinct technological identity, marked by the systematic use of large flakes and the presence of characteristic tools such as cleavers.
Cultural diversity in Western Europe
The study reinforces the idea that Western Europe was a culturally diverse space 700,000 years ago, where different hominin groups developed and maintained their own technical traditions within the broader Acheulean framework. In the Iberian Peninsula, these traditions show a clear affinity with those of North Africa, while regions north of the Pyrenees display influences from Eastern Europe.
This technological diversity may have been key to the success of human settlement in Europe for more than 600,000 years, allowing different groups to adapt to varied environments while maintaining stable cultural traditions over time.
The Revilleja de Valparaíso site thus becomes a key reference for understanding when and how the first Acheulean technical traditions emerged in the Iberian Peninsula, and how they fit into the broader context of hominin cultural evolution in Europe.
Reference
García-Vadillo, F.-J., Carbonell, E., Rodríguez-Álvarez, X.-P., Benito-Calvo, A., Braucher, R., Moreno, D., Hernando-Alonso, I., Alonso-Alcalde, R., Navazo-Ruiz, M., & Canals-Salomó, A. (2026). The first Large Flake Acheulean in Europe at Revilleja de Valparaíso site, Hortigüela, Spain. Quaternary Science Reviews, 383, 109977. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109977