Introduction
Now that we have put you in the picture, let me introduce you to Pau. Pau is the fossil of a hominid from 12 million years ago. His scientific name is Pierolapithecus catalaunicus, i.e. 'Catalonian ape from Pierola'. His remains constituted a new genus and a new species for science. He is therefore a holotype.
His name (which means Peace in English) comes from the fact that he was found and studied at the same time as the demonstrations against the war in Iraq in 2003.
His special traits, which we will discover on this route, turn Pau into one of the keys to understanding the evolution of the first hominids.
