 Type specimen, Neanderthal 1 | |
| Common name | Feldhofer 1 |
|---|---|
| Species | Neanderthal |
| Age | 40,000 years |
| Place discovered | Erkrath, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
| Date discovered | August 1856 |
Feldhofer 1 or Neanderthal 1 is the scientific name of the 40,000-year-old type specimen fossil of the species Homo neanderthalensis,[1] discovered in August 1856 in a German cave, the Kleine Feldhofer Grotte, in the Neandertal valley, 13 km (8.1 mi) east of Düsseldorf. In 1864, the fossil's description was first published in a scientific magazine and officially named.[2] Neanderthal 1 was not the first Neanderthal fossil discovery. Other Neanderthal fossils had been discovered earlier, but their true nature and significance had not been recognized, and, therefore, no separate species name was assigned.[2]
The discovery was made by limestone quarry miners. Neanderthal 1 consists of a skullcap, two femora, the three right arm bones, two of the left arm bones, ilium, and fragments of a scapula and ribs. The fossils were given to Johann Carl Fuhlrott, a local teacher and amateur naturalist. The first description of the remains was made by anatomist Hermann Schaaffhausen and the find was announced jointly in 1857.[3][4] In 1997, the specimen was the first to yield Neanderthal mitochondrial DNA fragments.[5] In 1999, scientists announced that recent excavations had led them to some of the sediments of the now-destroyed cave which contained fragments of Neanderthal bones including one that fit exactly to the original femur.[6]
In 2000, the fossil of a second individual from the locality, named Neanderthal 2, was identified as a Homo neanderthalensis. The Neanderthal 1 publication represents the beginning of paleoanthropology as a scientific discipline. The fossil has been preserved in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn since 1877.[7] As well as the unique historical and scientific importance of this specimen, it has continued to play a key role since its discovery.
- ^ Die Schreibung des Lemmas Neandertal 1 folgt: Wilhelm Gieseler: Germany. In: Kenneth P. Oakley et al. (Hrsg.): Catalogue of Fossil Hominids: Europe Pt. 2. Smithsonian Institution Proceedings, 1971, S. 198–199. – Als Folge der Orthographischen Konferenz von 1901 wurde die vormalige Schreibung der Thal zu Tal, woran die Archivnummer angepasst werden konnte; auch die von der American Association for the Advancement of Science herausgegebene Fachzeitschrift Science folgt dieser Schreibung (sciencemag.org: The Neandertal Genome). Die international rules for zoological nomenclature erlauben hingegen eine solche Veränderung gültiger Benennung von Gattungs - und Artnamen nicht, weswegen die lateinische Bezeichnung weiterhin Homo neanderthalensis lautet.
- ^ a b William King: The Reputed Fossil Man of the Neanderthal. In: Quarterly Journal of Science. Band 1, 1864, S. 88–97, Volltext (PDF; 356 kB)
- ^ "Homo neanderthalensis". ArchaeologyInfo.com. Park Ridge, NJ: Patrick Johnson. Retrieved 2015-05-11.
- ^ Tattersall, Ian; Schwartz, Jeffrey H. (June 22, 1999). "Hominids and hybrids: The place of Neanderthals in human evolution Ian Tattersall and Jeffrey H. Schwartz". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 96 (13). National Academy of Sciences: 7117–7119. Bibcode:1999PNAS...96.7117T. doi:10.1073/pnas.96.13.7117. PMC 33580. PMID 10377375.
- ^ Krings, Matthias; Stone, Anne; Schmitz, Ralf W.; et al. (July 11, 1997). "Neandertal DNA Sequences and the Origin of Modern Humans". Cell. 90 (1). Cambridge, MA: Cell Press: 19–30. doi:10.1016/S0092-8674(00)80310-4. hdl:11858/00-001M-0000-0025-0960-8. ISSN 0092-8674. PMID 9230299. S2CID 13581775.
- ^ McKie, Robin (February 14, 1999). "Neanderthal Man makes a comeback". The Observer. London: Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 2015-05-11.
- ^ Michael Schmauder, Ralf W. Schmitz: "Der Neandertaler und weitere eiszeitliche Funde im Rheinischen LandesMuseum Bonn". In: Heinz Günter Horn (Hrsg.): Neandertaler + Co. Verlag Philipp von Zabern, Mainz am Rhein 2006, pp. 252–253, ISBN 978-3-8053-3603-1.