A slice of
prehistoric Europe in the heart of modern day Spain, the Atapuerca mountain
range in Burgos is home to a network of caves containing fossils and stone
tools belonging to the earliest known humans.
And it has just got an extra taste of the prehistoric as bison, for years extinct in Spain, have been reintroduced to the area.
Bison were immortalized in the stone age cave paintings at Altamira, in Cantabria, northern Spain.
It is part of the Paleolítico Vivo project, a prehistoric park where visitors can experience what life was like hundreds of thousands of years ago in Spain.
The park has been running for three years, its aim to create an area "unique in the world" Fernando Morán, who is in charge of the project, told Europa Press.
As well as receiving its new four-legged residents, the park was given Unesco’s highest honour this week when it was made a Site of Exceptional Universal Value. It had previously been made a World Heritage Site in 2000.
Bison were only reintroduced back into the wild in Spain in 2010, after becoming extinct throughout much of Europe. The last wild European bison was killed by poachers in 1927, while around 50 remained in zoos.
Paleolítico vivo - which covers over 1,000 hectares - has introduced two males and one female to join the female bison who currently calls the park home. The new animals - the biggest herbivores in Europe - come from Holland and Germany.
As well as bison the park has nine new Przewalski’s horses, a rare and endangered species of wild horse and models of various prehistoric animals.
The park’s owners aim is to make a park "for all the family" where they can be "immersed in the prehistoric", something which makes it "unique in the world" according to Fernando Morán.
The excavation of Atapuerca began in 1964 and has unearthed remains from early humans to the Bronze age and beyond.
By Jessica Jones
With man thanks to the Local
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And it has just got an extra taste of the prehistoric as bison, for years extinct in Spain, have been reintroduced to the area.
Bison were immortalized in the stone age cave paintings at Altamira, in Cantabria, northern Spain.
It is part of the Paleolítico Vivo project, a prehistoric park where visitors can experience what life was like hundreds of thousands of years ago in Spain.
The park has been running for three years, its aim to create an area "unique in the world" Fernando Morán, who is in charge of the project, told Europa Press.
As well as receiving its new four-legged residents, the park was given Unesco’s highest honour this week when it was made a Site of Exceptional Universal Value. It had previously been made a World Heritage Site in 2000.
Bison were only reintroduced back into the wild in Spain in 2010, after becoming extinct throughout much of Europe. The last wild European bison was killed by poachers in 1927, while around 50 remained in zoos.
Paleolítico vivo - which covers over 1,000 hectares - has introduced two males and one female to join the female bison who currently calls the park home. The new animals - the biggest herbivores in Europe - come from Holland and Germany.
As well as bison the park has nine new Przewalski’s horses, a rare and endangered species of wild horse and models of various prehistoric animals.
The park’s owners aim is to make a park "for all the family" where they can be "immersed in the prehistoric", something which makes it "unique in the world" according to Fernando Morán.
The excavation of Atapuerca began in 1964 and has unearthed remains from early humans to the Bronze age and beyond.
By Jessica Jones
With man thanks to the Local
Related posts on archeology:
Stonehenge: A Breakthrough In An Age-old Mystery?
Chauvet Cave Paintings: Cave Women Left Their Artistic Mark
Colossal Pharaoh Statues of Amenhotep III Found in Egypt’s Temple City Luxor
Lost City of Heracleion Gives Up Its Secrets
Shilling Discovery 'Could' Rewrite Canadian History
Fake Pharaoh: Tutankhamun Replica To Safeguard Original Tomb
10,000-year-old House Uncovered Outside Of Jerusalem
Great Zimbabwe
Rock-hewn Tombs From Ancient Egypt Discovered In Aswan
Europe's Oldest Human Footprints Found: 900,000 Year-old Norfolk Footprints 'Definitely Human”
First Pharaoh Ruled Ancient Egypt Earlier Than First Thought
The Antikythera Mechanism - The World's Oldest Known Computer
Archaeologists Digging Up Cecile B DeMille's Movie Treasures
The Lost Technology of Ancient Egyptians
The Elgin Marbles - A Continuing Controversy
Zeugma: 2,000-Year-Old Mosaics Uncovered In Turkey
Five Lost Cities
China's Lost Civilization: The Mystery Of Sanxingdui
Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh
Ancient Tomb in Amphipolis Revealed
Easter Island: Scientists Are Closer To Understanding What Wiped Out Its Society
The World’s Priceless Treasures
Relief of Queen Nefertiti
Gold Treasures Discovered in Ming Dynasty Tomb
Unique Mosaic Images Uncovered in Fifth-Century Synagogue
Philip of Macedonia, Greece’s Ancient King, Found
Queen Nefertiti: Was She Hidden In King Tutankhamun’s Tomb?
The Antikythera Mechanism: Second Expedition Seeks More Mechanism Remains
Discovery Of Ancient Cave Paintings In Petra
Scientists Find ‘Superhenge’ That Could Be Five Times The Area Of Stonehenge
Rome Reborn – An Amazing Digital Model of Ancient Rome
A Day in Pompeii
King Tut’s Egyptian Tomb May Hide Queen Nefertiti
Ippolito Rosellini: The Monuments of Egypt And Nubia
The Holigost: 600 Year Old Pride of Henry V’s Fleet May Have Been Found
Gem-Filled Warrior's Tomb Discovered in Ancient Greek City
Amenhotep’s Fragmented Book Of The Dead Found
Acra: Ancient Citadel Unearthed In Jerusalem
Glastonbury Legends, King Arthur’s ‘Grave’, Made Up For Cash By Monks
King Hezekiah's Seal Impression Found
Spanish Galleon San Jose Discovered Laden With Treasure Off Colombia
Has The Lost Island Of Kane Been Found?
'Britain's Pompeii' Found at Bronze Age Settlement
Babylonians Tracked Jupiter with Fancy Math, Tablet Reveals
New Clues to Ancient Roman Art Discovered in Egyptian Mummy Portraits
Hidden Rooms In King Tut’s Tomb May Contain Organic Material
Ancestral Puebloans Were Hit By Boom and Bust
Bible Breakthrough Found In Israel
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Queen Hatshepsut's Building Blocks Discovered
Nefertiti Still Missing: King Tut's Tomb Shows No Hidden Chambers
Dagger in King Tut's Tomb Was Made With Iron From A Meteorite
Rare Ancient Greek Gold Crown Discovered Under A Bed.
Team Testing New Scanner on Egypt's Great Pyramid
Ancient Mayan Observatory Was Used To Track Venus And Mars
Has The Gateway to Ancient Greek God's Compound Been Uncovered?
Archaeologists Find 22 Ancient Greek Shipwrecks
Archaeologists Reveal Probable Sites Of Two Missions That Predate The Alamo
Palace Found At Tintagel, Fabled Birthplace Of King Arthur
Marble Statues of Aphrodite Unearthed At Petra
Did the Greeks Help Sculpt China's Terra Cotta Warriors?
Egyptian Mummy And Temple 4200 Years Old With Well-Preserved Art Revealed
