Final answer:
The earliest discovery from Atapuerca dates to roughly 1.2 MYA with the Homo antecessor fossils found in the Sima de los Huesos cave, offering profound insights into early human evolution in Europe.
Step-by-step explanation:
The earliest find from Atapuerca has been recently discovered and dates to approximately 1.2 million years ago (MYA). The finds at Atapuerca include fossils of the species Homo antecessor, which represent the oldest fossil evidence for the presence of the genus Homo in Europe. The site, particularly the Sima de los Huesos in the Sierra de Atapuerca region in Spain, provided a significant number of fossils, with more than 1,600 fossils of 28 individuals dating back to at least 780,000 years ago. These findings are crucial for understanding human evolution and the origins of species that would eventually lead to modern humans.