MADRID.- A significant archaeological discovery in Madrid is rewriting our understanding of early human technology in Europe. For the first time, researchers have identified Acheulean Paleolithic tools crafted on unusually large flint flakes within collections from the National Archaeological Museum (MAN). This exceptional finding, unearthed from the Transfesa site in Madrid's Villaverde Bajo district, sheds new light on the spread of ancient human populations and their sophisticated tool-making techniques.

The Acheulean period, a vast span of the Lower Paleolithic from approximately 800,000 to 100,000 years ago, is known for its distinctive handaxes and other bifacial tools. The discovery of large flake tools at Transfesa is a rarity in European contexts, prompting scientists to consider a fascinating hypothesis: this advanced technology might have arrived in the Iberian Peninsula via the Strait of Gibraltar.

The study, a collaborative effort involving researchers from the National Archaeological Museum, Complutense University of Madrid, and the Institute of Evolution in Africa, has been published in the prestigious Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology.

The newly studied lithic collection, previously unresearched, comes from the Transfesa site, which formed around 400,000 years ago. Excavated in 1958 near the present-day Villaverde Bajo station, the site also yielded bone remains of two ancient elephants (now displayed at the National Museum of Natural Sciences) and other extinct species like horses, bovids, and deer.

These 276 carved flint pieces, including numerous large tools like handaxes, trihedral tools, and cleavers, were found in an ancient meander of the Manzanares River. Their characteristics closely resemble those of the African Acheulean period, and they stand out due to their almost exclusive use of flint for large tools—a trait shared by only a few other sites in Europe, such as Torralba in Soria.

This distinctiveness is crucial. It differentiates these tools from other Acheulean assemblages found across Europe and strengthens the theory that Homo erectus groups, carrying Acheulean technology, expanded into the Iberian Peninsula via the Strait of Gibraltar hundreds of thousands of years ago.

The Manzanares Valley itself is an archaeological treasure trove, boasting Europe's highest concentration of Paleolithic sites between San Isidro Hill and the Jarama River. With thirteen identified river terraces, it offers a nearly complete chronological sequence of the Paleolithic periods, from 800,000 to 24,000-29,000 years ago.

This ongoing research by the National Archaeological Museum highlights its vital role as a public service institution dedicated to understanding Spain's past. The multidisciplinary study of MAN's extensive collections promises many more revelations about our ancient human history.