Boxgrove tibia

At around 500,000 years old, this Homo heidelbergensis tibia (shinbone) is one of the oldest human fossils ever discovered in Britain.

It was excavated in 1993 from a quarry site in Boxgrove, West Sussex, by a team led by University College London.

The bone has been chewed at one end by an ancient carnivore, but scientists can still use it to make estimates about the individual's build and gender. From its length, width and density they can estimate that the person was male and, standing about 1.8 metres tall, would have been larger and more robust than an average modern human.

This build suggests Homo heidelbergensis was suited to a cooler environment than those found in Africa, fitting with the idea that the species adapted to new conditions as it spread across the world. The adaptations are also similar to those found in Neanderthals, lending evidence to the idea that Homo heidelbergensis gave rise to Neanderthals and modern humans.

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