Mauer 1
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| Catalog no. | GPIH 1 |
|---|---|
| Common name | Mauer 1 |
| Species | Homo heidelbergensis |
| Age | 609 k ± 40 k |
| Place discovered | Mauer, Germany |
| Date discovered | 1907 |
| Discovered by | Daniel Hartmann |
The Mauer 1 mandible is the oldest fossilized specimen of the genus Homo ever to be discovered in Germany. It was found in 1907 in a sand mine in the community Mauer, around 10 km (6.2 mi) south-east of Heidelberg. The Mauer 1 mandible is the type specimen of the species Homo heidelbergensis. Some European researchers have classified the find as Homo erectus heidelbergensis, that is to be regarded a subspecies of Homo erectus. In 2010 the mandible's age was for the first time exactly determined as to be 609,000 ± 40,000 years. Previously specialist literature had referred to an age of either 600,000 or 500,000 years on the basis of less accurate dating methods.
On October 21, 1907 the worker Daniel Hartmann unearthed a mandible in a sand mine in the Grafenrain Open field system of the Mauer community in a depth of 24.63 m (80.81 ft), which he recognized to be of human origin. He was aware of the likelihood of findings as the Heidelberg scholar Otto Schoetensack had the workers of the sand mine urged for 20 years to pay attention to any fossils, after in 1887 a well-preserved skull of a straight-tusked elephant had come to light. Schoetensack had the workers taught the characteristics of human bones based on recent examples as he regularly visited the sand mine in search for "traces of mankind".
As it was dug out the mandible was flung in the air and only discovered after it had broken into two parts. Moreover, a piece of the mandible's left side broke off in the process that was never found. A thick cemented crust of coarse sands stuck on and around the canines and molars - a characteristic found on many of the Mauer fossils. The cementing had been caused by carbonation of calcium. On top of the bicuspids and the two frontal molars of the mandible's left side sat a 6 cm (2.4 in) long and about 4 cm (1.6 in) wide chunk of limestone, probably Muschelkalk, firmly stuck to the sand crust.
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