Ancient primary tooth found in France

While the tooth is yet to be examined, researchers have analysed the soil and, based on the estimation, the tooth dates back at least 560,000 years. This makes it 100,000 years older than the Tautavel Man skull that was discovered in 1971 at the same site.

The researchers said the find was “exceptional”, as human remains dating back to this period are extremely rare, although a few teeth from the era were previously found at the Arago Cave. These sites have been the source of a number of discoveries, amounting to almost 150 ancient human fossils that have significantly helped researchers gain some much-needed insight into the way of life of the people. It has yet to be determined whether the cave was a temporary shelter where human ancestors stopped over for a hunting break or whether they used it as a more permanent home.

“The tooth likely belonged to a child aged 5 or 6, who still had its milk teeth but had used them a fair amount,” said Dr Tony Chevalier, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Perpignan and at the Centre Européen de Recherches Préhistoriques in Tautavel.

“It’s one of the oldest human remains discovered in France, and the oldest child,” added Dr Gaël Becam from the university, who is also a researcher at the centre. According to Becam, the tooth had a root, which means that the child had died prematurely, as it did not grow old enough for the tooth to break off.

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