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The surprise find, which could be about 1.4 million years old,
could also give vital clues to the evolution of the human face
over the millennia, the team from the Atapuerca Foundation said.
"The first week of July 2022 will enter the history of human
evolution," the team added in a statement.
The fossilised fragment of an upper jaw and cheekbone was found
near caves in the Atapuerca Mountains in northern Spain's Burgos
province, the site of other ancient remains.
The scientists said they were still working on identifying the
specific kind of human ancestor and determining the bone's age.
"We have to continue our research for about at least a year. ...
This takes lots of time," José María Bermúdez de Castro, one of
the team's coordinators, told journalists.
"What we can say is that we have found a fossil that's very
important and interesting that belongs to one of the first
populations that arrived in Europe."
(Reporting by Catherine Macdonald; Writing by Andrew Heavens;
Editing by Richard Chang)
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